Shop local for holiday gifts

As the old year steadily winds down, most of us are preparing for holiday gatherings with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors – all the people who together create life as we know it. Many of these festive soirees will involve gift exchanges, and we’d like to encourage you to support another aspect of life as we know it by shopping local.

Franklin County is home to a wide array of businesses, from clothing stores, to specialty boutiques, to hardware stores and more. They all offer local options to fill up that empty space under your tree and bring a smile to loved ones’ faces.

Local dollars spent in Franklin County mean more money back into our communities right here at home – more funding for schools, for local infrastructure, and for our friends and neighbors who are employed here.

Shopping local means supporting our Franklin County business owners in their independent endeavors. Success breeds success, meaning the more we support these locally-owned businesses, the more our communities will grow and thrive.

Not sure what to buy for that person who has everything? Many of our local shops – and let’s not forget our favorite Franklin County restaurants – offer gift cards and gift certificates, providing one more way to keep local dollars local.

The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce can be a great resource to help you pinpoint places to shop local. Cassie Medley and Susan Hall are closely familiar with scores of Franklin business owners and can point you in the right direction.

Maybe there are shops you have never even visited before or haven’t frequented in a long time. Take this holiday season to patronize those local businesses and shop Franklin County.