The annual Christmas shopping frenzy kicks off this weekend for many in our region. The big box retailers are advertising their Black Friday specials for the day after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday rolls around on Nov. 28, with countless online offers and deals.

We know many area residents will be taking advantage of these retail extravaganzas, but we’d like to encourage everyone to think about another retail event that has gotten less media coverage. Small Business Saturday is a relatively new promotional idea that is gaining strength and attention— and we think it’s a worthy one.

While many holiday shoppers will spend much of their gifting budget at big retail establishments, Small Business Saturday encourages all of us to think about the smaller, locally-owned retailers as well when the holidays come around.

Here in our area, many creative local retailers offer the kind of unique gifts and products that simply aren’t available at major retail outlets. If you haven’t taken the time to peruse a local retailer recently, you might be surprised at what you’ll find. Many offer locally-produced products, artwork, crafts, and other gift items that will say you took the time to find the perfect present. Many of them are advertising in our Holiday Gift Guide, included in this week’s issue of the Timberjay. We urge you to take a look and discover all that they have to offer.

Our local shop owners depend on us and our dollars to survive in an increasingly cutthroat retail environment. But we also depend on them to maintain vitality on our main streets. Without them, our small town economies suffer and we eventually are left with few options, other than the big-box stores. The mega-retailers are certainly attractive, but they pull mega-bucks from the local area to enrich wealthy shareholders who don’t live here and don’t contribute to our economy.

Locally-owned businesses are the backbone of our small communities. They provide local jobs, comprise much of our local tax base, and contribute time and again in so many other ways, through their dues in local chambers of commerce or contributions to local organizations. While a few big retailers donate a portion of their profits to local groups, it’s more of a marketing ploy than anything else. That’s not the case with so many local business owners, who view local giving as part of their role in the community.

We know many of you will be heading to a big box store this weekend. But remember to save some of your holiday budget for the locally-owned shops and stores right here in town. Your dollars matter more than you think.