Written by the team at the SBDC (Small Business Development Center) at UW Oshkosh.
SHOP LOCAL! That’s right. Shop where you work, play, live! You can easily support those in your community who support you, your friends and family. Your purchases at local retailers make a difference in your community in many ways you probably haven’t even thought of! Local businesses return 80% of profit back to the community through the support of local charities, schools and community events!
With Christmas quickly approaching, people across the nation are shopping for their friends, families and loved ones. Most of them, without thinking twice, will go to their favorite large retail store or shop online in hopes of finding the perfect gift for their special someone. During this time of year, why are the local businesses forgotten? Is it because they don’t have festive commercials singing Christmas carols at you every day? Is it because they only have one location? Or is it because they simply haven’t been discovered yet? Often times the local stores you drive by every day carry unique, non-traditional gifts that you can’t find anywhere else. Be the one to discover these local gems and spread the word to your friends and family members!
Small Business Saturday, created by American Express 5 years ago, was started to help boost local businesses’ sales. Small businesses have seen a dramatic increase in sales on this day, but why limit shopping at local businesses to one day? Shop Local, founded by Emmelyn Rugotska, is helping solve this problem.
Shop Local was started less than a year ago to connect local businesses to the community. “We provide deals, discounts, recommendations and more on our Shop Local social media pages, via text and our mobile app (coming soon)”, says Rugotska. They also provide affordable, recommendation marketing to businesses by reaching a large local audience across the top online & mobile medias. Shop Local strives 
to instill a positive attitude and fulfill a proud sense of community, a community that is family. In less than a year, it has helped recognize over 70 small businesses. Jennfer Theuerkauf, owner of The Fine Fox located in Neenah, was one that saw great benefit from Shop Local. She states, “All small businesses need to collaborate (in order) to thrive and with Shop Local, we’ve been able to collaborate on a much bigger scale through social media. It’s brought loyal customers into our door who wouldn’t have found us otherwise and it’s all because of the way Shop Local provides peer-recommendations to local shoppers.” In the spirit of the holidays, Shop Local is hosting the first annual Shop Local Week taking place December 1-7. This special week will soon receive national recognition! Daily price specials will be unveiled in addition to free giveaways and coupons to your favorite small businesses. Just look for the red bags outside local businesses!
Supporting small, local businesses not only impacts the lives of the owner, but can have an impact on your life as well. Shopping local allows you to take advantage of personalized service and a relationship with the owner that you otherwise would not get from shopping in a large retail store. Also remember how much of a positive effect your purchases have on the community where you work, play and live!
During this holiday season, ask yourself “What does my dollar do for my neighbor?” Does it help fulfill a little girl’s dream of taking dance lessons? Does it help a school fund an after school program? To support these businesses, look for Shop Local Appleton, Oshkosh & Green Bay (and more communities) online and on social media like Facebook, Twitter, & Pinterest. For more information, contact Emmie Rugotska, emmie@shoplocalappleton.com. Happy shopping (local)!
