Buchanan invites the community make a difference shopping this weekend by shopping small and local. When choosing to shop at locally owned businesses visitors not only get great customer service and unique gifts and services, but help the economy of the community.
Like snowflakes, each one of Buchanan’s locally owned businesses is unique. From one end of town to the other, visitors will discover a wide variety of goods and services including John Deere, hardware, RVs, hunting gear, primitives, Amish furniture, home decor, books, antiques, art, candles, wood crafts, herbal products, handmade felt crafts, dog supplies, great places to eat, dance, yoga, martial arts and more. If you are not sure what to get, gift certificates make a great option.
Pop-up shopping is a feature of Buchanan’s Small Business Saturday activities with the Buchanan Community Christmas Market open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. More than 15 vendor spaces will be set up in the parking lot next to Town Hall and scattered along the sidewalks of Main Street during this event adding to the great merchandise visitors will find in Buchanan’s locally owned shops. Of special note are the limited number of Buchanan Christmas long sleeve T-shirts and hoodies which will be available. Local crafters and artisans will be offering a variety of handmade crafts, art, antiques, baked goods, and more.
Additional Small Business Saturday activities include photo ops at the Buchanan LOVE sign and participating businesses. Carriage rides will be available from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. starting at the Buchanan Town Hall. Thanks to sponsorship by Bank of Botetourt, rides are family friendly with costs of just $1 for children and $2 for adults.
Buchanan invites the community to be part of their town tree lighting next to Town Hall at 7 p.m. A beautiful 20-foot Norway Spruce donated by the Tommy Moore family of Fincastle is festooned with colored balls and more than 3,000 tiny clear lights. Hundreds of visitors gather each year to sing by candlelight before the countdown to light the Christmas tree. Following the lighting, children are invited to drop in to Town Hall to have their parents take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
At 7:30 p.m., the Buchanan Theatre will be showing the Christmas classic, “White Christmas,” beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Buchanan encourages the community to shop small and shop local throughout Botetourt County. Studies show shopping at locally owned businesses keeps more money in the community creating jobs, reinvestment in the community and, a greater tax base for services provided throughout the year.
According to an economic impact analysis by the American Independent Business Alliance, 48% of each purchase at local independent businesses was recirculated locally compared to less than 14% of purchases at chain stores. This means that small independent mom and pop retailers return more than three times as much money per dollar of sales to the local economy than large chain competitors. So, in short, shopping at local independent retailers creates more revenue for local businesses and more local jobs. By comparison, shopping online from large retailers located elsewhere creates almost no local economic benefit. With the exception of the delivery person, there is no additional economic activity happening in the community from these types of purchases.
When making plans for the holiday weekend, remember to make a difference in the community for years to come when shopping small and local.
~ Town of Buchanan
