This year, catch the holiday spirit by supporting our nearby businesses and shop local! Research shows that simply shifting a portion of your spending away from national chains and Internet shops to independent, locally-owned and operated businesses can have a dramatic effect on the local economy. Your choice to purchase locally creates more local jobs, builds community and keeps more money in the local economy. Here are some other reasons to shop local.

1. To preserve one-of-a-kind businesses and the community’s unique qualities.
2. To build strong communities and sustain vibrant town centers by linking neighbors in a web of economic and social relationships.
3. To keep local decision-making in the communities those decisions impact.
4. To support innovation through entrepreneurship, which is the heart and soul of America’s economic prosperity.
5. To employ our public space and services more effectively. Local stores in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure and use public services more efficiently than shopping malls and large stores.
6. To help develop and sustain vibrant, compact and walkable town centers, which help reduce urban sprawl, habitat loss, air/water pollution, automobile usage and traffic.
7. To stimulate a healthy, competitive marketplace.
8. To cultivate a broader range of product choices and diversity.

Atlanta has a lot of local goodness to share and a great deal of shopping diversity. There are beautiful, handcrafted clothing and accessories, wonderful natural soaps, essential oils, heirloom-quality pottery, repurposed home décor items, environmentally friendly cleaning products and a huge variety of comestibles.

Amazing foods are available from farmers’ markets around the city and community supported agriculture (CSA) delivery services and myriad restaurants offering plant-based menus, organics, grass-fed meats and cheese, farm-to-table and deliciously healthy holiday fare; not to mention there is a fabulous array of services available in Atlanta.

Check out our Community Resource Guide for a start, and give the gift of healthy living services to that hard-to-gift friend or family member. Want something unique and artsy? Browse our news briefs this month for ideas. If you’re totally at a loss, a hug is the perfect gift!

Have a healthy and happy holiday season!