Loving Local
Overview
Loving Local means purchasing goods and services from locally owned and locally operated businesses in Washington County. Loving Local means supporting small businesses as well as our large retailers located in our community. Loving Local means buying local to keep money in our community, regardless of chain or small businesses.
By supporting local businesses, it allows our area to be an incubator for new small businesses and entrepreneurs, the building blocks of a healthy and thriving economy. Every local retailer is one of our neighbors who has taken a risk to try to make our region a better, stronger place, boosting the economy and helping lift friends and neighbors into the middle class.
When we all look for ways to buy local, we send a message that we believe our community is worth investing in. We put our money into things we care about and we enjoy a better purchasing experience overall personally. Shopping and buying locally is a win-win for you, for small businesses, and for our community as a whole.
Fact
LOVING LOCAL BOOSTS ECONOMY CREATED BY PANDEMIC
According to research conducted by American Express, 62% of U.S. small businesses reported that they need to see consumer spending return to pre-COVID levels by the end of 2020 in order to stay in business. Fortunately, the Small Business Recovery Research shows that three-quarters of U.S. consumers are looking for ways to Shop Small® and support their community. Now more than ever, small businesses need our support!
LOVING LOCAL HELPs KEEP OUR COMMUNITY UNIQUE
Loving Local means our area can become a much larger tourist attraction by virtue of the character of our buildings, location, selection of unique businesses, and events held here. This means more visitors to our community and more tourist dollars being spent in our community. Also, many of our shops are unique and the service excellent! Local shops sell a wide range of great products at affordable prices. Please consider hotel and dining experiences as a possible gift ideal also. Many people get out of the habit of shopping locally and are then surprised by the range of products and gifts available.
This shopping season is a critical mark for some of our small businesses, invest in your community, invest with businesses who are committed to our area, invest in your neighbors who own and work at our small businesses.
Services
LOVING LOCAL MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
The Chamber is #LovingLocal! The Loving Local Spotlight is a free service to showcase the merchants, restaurants, boutiques and other business owners of Washington County! If you're interested nin having your business featured in a Loving Local, contact Chamber Director Kay Sipes at ksipes@wceams.com or 662-378-3141.
TELL YOUR STORY BUTTONS
Everyone has a story to tell. To help our local businesses tell their story, our office can provide to you and your staff, "Ask Us About Our Story" bottons, free of charge. These buttons will assist employees to engage with customers and tourists.
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce is committed to ensuring that community businesses have a welcoming and visually appealing look that invites customers into their businesses. New paint, flowers, trimmed trees and shrubs, signage and lights can all beautify your business and can create a more inviting atmosphere for your customers. Within the Loving Local initiative, the Chamber is supporting businesses, seeking to enhance the look of their business, through a micro-grant of up to $1000.
Grant will open after the 2022 Annual Meeting. Application and guidelines will be shared here.