LCCM was founded upon the desire to help small businesses in Lake Chelan thrive through excellent marketing and design, and we honor those roots each year by sharing all the best ways to support local businesses during the holiday season. Small businesses rely on your patronage to get them through the slower winter months, and the holidays are a great time to give them an extra boost that might just mean the difference between staying afloat or closing their doors. BONUS: Keep an eye out for shoutouts to some of our favorite local businesses!
1. Make a Micro Commitment
We’re bringing this one back from a couple years ago because it creates a clear, attainable goal that anyone can set and achieve. Choose one (or several) of these small commitments this holiday season and make a big impact locally.
- Purchase all of your stocking stuffers locally (Winterfest buttons for everyone!)
- Purchase all of your gift cards locally
- Purchase all of your children’s gifts locally (Deepwater Home & Electronics is a great place to get gifts for all the techy teens in your life)
- Purchase all of your Holiday décor locally
- Only purchase local wine for the month of November & December
- Create your Christmas charcuterie from exclusively locally-made products
- Order your Thanksgiving turkey from a local grocer
- Purchase your gift wrapping supplies from local shops
2. Gift Cards, Gift Cards, Gift Cards
Time to throw out the idea that gift cards aren’t a personal enough gift. In fact, we would argue that it shows your loved one how well you know them! When you purchase a gift card from a local business you not only give the recipient a chance to choose something for themselves, but you also send a potential customer into a business where they might spend beyond what was on their gift card, keeping even more dollars local. Gift cards to service-based businesses also make excellent gifts for those who prefer experiences over “stuff”. Hot Yoga at The Barn, anyone??
3. Leave a Positive Review
Did you just get the best massage of your life at England Chiropractic? Leave them a review! Had the time of your life with your fam at Leavenworth Adventure park? Tell them all about it. It only takes a few minutes and encourages others to give your favorite local businesses a try. Start with their Google Business page to give their SEO a boost, and then pop over to Facebook, Yelp, Trip Advisor, etc. if you’re feeling extra complimentary. Leaving reviews is easy, FREE and makes a huge, lasting impact on small businesses.
4. Attend Local Events
We know how tempting it is to activate hibernation mode during the holiday season, but this is your sign to get more active in your community by attending local events this fall/winter. Stop by the next food truck pop up at Echo Valley Resort & Cabins, and make it a priority to get downtown for one of the many Small Town Holidays events this year. Local events are a great way to meet new people and feel connected to the place you live and love!
Now that you have a few super easy ways to help small businesses through the holiday season and beyond, there’s no reason not to follow through on one or two this year. Your favorite spots will benefit in a big way, and you’ll feel better knowing that you played a part in keeping holiday dollars local.