Think Local, Buy Local

Forget Black Friday or Cyber Monday or even pre-Thanksgiving sales. This season’s popular sentiment is less about when to buy and more about where to shop. In 2010, local retailers and mom-and-pop businesses are spreading the message to consumers to share their holiday cheer at neighborhood shops and boutiques.

American Express started the push with its “Small Business Saturday,” scheduled for November 27, when consumers are invited to shop at their locally owned independent businesses. The first 100,000 card members who registered their cards and use it this Saturday at a business that accepts AmEx can qualify for a $25 statement credit. The nationwide initiative’s Facebook page has more than 800,000 fans, making it one of the fastest growing communities on the social networking site.

Other communities have taken a similar approach. In Cincinnati, a Yelp’s Totally Bazaar invites shoppers on December 11 to a holiday-spirited setting complete with local vendors, free food and drinks, music, gift wrapping and a photo booth.

The Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce hopes to inspire local consumers with its seasonal motto, “Buy Your Treasures Locally.” Lori Pepenella, destination marketing director for the chamber, points to the Internet as a driving force in the need for a new marketing tactic. “Everyone has the convenience of an online store in their house, so it’s a matter of going out and shopping your community and looking for some unique things you’re not going to get online,” she told the Press of Atlantic City. “Or if you do shop online, to look at their websites.”

The International Council of Shopping Centers forecasts that 2010 holiday season spending will increase by 3 to 3.5 percent over last year, making it the largest increase since 2006.

Every retailer in town is hungry for a piece of that pie. It’s nice to see local merchants getting resourceful and appealing to consumers’ renewed sense of community to help pull some of that holiday cheer their way.