The holiday shopping season is here and the hype surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday is at an all time high. However, the overload of promotions from national-retailers isn’t convincing me to walk through their doors this Friday and I’m not alone.

A survey from bankrate.com found that only 28% of Americans plan to shop in-stores on Black Friday this year and only 25% of consumers are planning to shop online during Cyber Monday. Hopefully, this is an indication that consumers are ditching the door busters for smarter spending alternatives.

For me, holiday shopping is about enjoying the spirit in Kansas City and finding one-of-a-kind gifts to give, not navigating overcrowded stores one night with the rest of America searching for “exclusive” deals. That’s why I prefer to do most of my holiday shopping at Kansas City’s local small businesses during Small Business Saturday. The shop small movement started five years ago when American Express encouraged customers to shop local the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Since then, this holiday tradition has taken over the nation and last year U.S. consumers spent $5.7 billion at local businesses during this holiday shopping event.

When you make the decision to shop local you are giving back to our communities and keeping the entrepreneurial spirit of Kansas City alive. According to BASE KC, when you shift 10% of your shopping from chain stores to local businesses annually, $250 million is added to our local economy creating new job opportunities and supporting a sustainable local economy for us all. When you decide to spend your money at national chains, less money is returned to Kansas City’s local economy. “For every $100 in customer spending at a national chain, the total local economic impact is only $13. The same amount spent with a local merchant yields $48, more than three times the local economic impact.” (BASE KC).

Not to mention, the overall experience is more rewarding. By doing your holiday shopping at small businesses you get the chance to explore areas of Kansas City that you may not typically come across like the West Bottoms, the Crossroads or 39^th Street. You can also be sure to find a gift that stands out from the rest when you buy it from local KC artists and shops. Most importantly, it gives you the chance to connect with the people that make Kansas City a great place to live.

To find a list of businesses participating in Small Business Saturday and other shop local events in Kansas City visit KCSourceLink’s shop local map and use #ShopLocalKC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to follow the movement.

Hope to see you shopping this Saturday!

Maygan – Social Media