Support local businesses this holiday season and year-round
T
he holiday season is a wonderful
time to explore West Virginia.
As you shop for gifts and ingredients to
make delicious meals, WVU Extension
experts recommend looking to local
small businesses to fulfill your holiday
needs.
The benefits
When you choose to purchase from
a small business instead of a large
national chain, you invest directly
into the local economy, creating
vigorous growth for small towns
and local businesses.
Buying local goods and services
directly impacts the local community
and allows for economic advancement
of individual businesses and eventually,
the entire town.
year where small business shopping is
highly encouraged, it shouldn’t be the
only time of year that you frequent
your local business owners’ shops.
West Virginia small businesses are
open for business throughout the year.
It’s important that we support them
through every season and not just
during the holidays.
Finding small businesses
Perhaps the best place to find local
shops and businesses in on “Main
Street” of small towns. Communities
across the state have that one street
that stands out above all the rest.
Find the Main Street in your area
that offers boutique shopping,
family-owned restaurants, and other
West Virginian-owned businesses.
Gifts are just part of shopping local.
You can find many of the ingredients
for “grandma’s famous apple pie” or
locally-made cheeses and wines for
the holidays – or any day – from
local businesses and marketplaces.
Places like the Capitol Market in
Charleston offer a large amount
of handcrafted goods and West
Virginia-made foods from across
the state, available year-round.
Small Business Saturday is a day
to support local businesses.
Small Business Saturday
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is
“Small Business Saturday,” a day to
show your support for local businesses.
This year it falls on Nov. 29. Small
Business Saturday is about patronizing
brick and mortar businesses that are
small and local. It’s a reminder to get
out and explore your town – and the
state – to see what West Virginians
have to offer.
Although Small Business Saturday is
the single-most recognized day of the
Show your support
“When visitors seek out local shops
and spend money on their goods
or services, resident businesses
West Virginia-made foods can be
found across the state.
gain resources from other areas of
the state – or neighboring states –
that grow their business, leading to
increased economic development
from tourism in the region,” says
Doug Arbogast, WVU Extension
specialist for community and rural
tourism.
Although visiting the communities
and towns where small businesses
are located is part of the appeal to
shopping local, you can still support
small businesses and create a strong
local business economy in West
Virginia by purchasing products
from West Virginian merchants
online.
For information on community
development or tourism, contact the
WVU Extension Service Office of
Community Resources and Economic
Development at 304-293-6967.
By Kelly Nix, WVU Extension
Specialist – Leadership
How to sell your timber wisely
– continued from page ii –
the contract is being upheld and the
desired end results are achieved. Even
though professional foresters provide
their services for a fee, landowners
typically benefit from much higher
timber values and overall satisfaction.
For additional information or
guidance on the timbering process,
contact Ben Spong at 304-293-9425
or [email protected].
By Ben Spong, WVU Extension
Specialist – Forest Operations
Insert Provided by WVU Extension Service and Davis College of Ag., Natural Resources, and Design
Fall 2014 / iii
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 13