A big box discount warehouse or the hardware store downtown? The well-known coffee powerhouse or a local tea shop and bakery? Amazon or Etsy? I prefer the latter of each and patronize small businesses when I can. Of course, I make purchases at a large department stores and eat at chain restaurants, but when it’s possible and practical, I give local companies my business. I want to support community entrepreneurs in their ventures.
Today is Small Business Saturday. As the holiday shopping season begins, the Small Business Saturday initiative designates the Saturday after Black Friday to encourage and incentivize buying from non-chain retail stores. I participate in and promote this worthy cause.
Last year, after my Thanksgiving company went home, I headed out for some time alone. I drove to a quaint shopping district not far from our home. I went to several one-of-a-kind shops. I bought some reasonable items as ‘thank you’ gifts and stocked up on useful stationery and candles. It’s satisfying to buy directly from store owners who are often quite personable.
On my way home, I stopped at my favorite local business: the garden shop down the street. Lush plants of every kind and lavish home displays fill its various atriums. It is also a terrific example of small business success. The owner had a rag to riches life story accomplished through hard work and smart investment sense in the nursery business. Since I visit this garden center often, I have a routine. I enjoy the free coffee and popcorn, meander through the greenhouses and décor rooms, and then check out the sale aisle. I usually pick up a plant or two to exercise my green thumb. I am not sure what I ended up with that small business weekend but, while there, I filled out a raffle card before taking home a few of their beautiful garden calendars for the new year. A few days later I got a call from the garden center. Apparently, my name was drawn in the raffle and I won a $50 gift card! Hey, it pays to shop local.It is wise to be selective with your purchasing power. You can decide where to buy and who will get your money; options abound. You may be aware of a company’s policies or positions that you feel strongly about supporting or not supporting. Such discretion is your prerogative as a paying patron. Ultimately, all of our money comes from God, His blessing in our lives (Psalm 24:1). For that reason, we are held accountable for how, and where, we spend what He’s provided. Consider a few more Scriptures in light of your spending choices: “ So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” (Romans 14:12) “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” (Proverbs 3:27) “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” (Matthew 25:23) “ Now the overseer (leader, example) is to be above reproach, . . . not a lover of money.” (1 Timothy 3:2-3)