Buchanan residents and visitors are encouraged to reserve Saturday to show their support for the town’s local restaurants, personal service providers, electricians, plumbers, neighborhood stores, and specialty shops by shopping small and doing business with locally owned businesses.
The town’s Community Development Director Harry Gleason explained, shopping local matters because “it affects the economy of our entire community. Small, locally owned businesses are a pretty big part of the Buchanan economy with 97 percent of businesses in Buchanan being classified as small, locally owned businesses.”
Shopping locally has a cyclical effect on the local economy. How? When the public spends more at locally owned businesses, more of that money stays within the community. Studies show that for every dollar spent at a small business, 67 cents of that dollar stay within the local economy. In addition to helping schools and other organizations through tax revenues, small businesses are also the organizations that support local sports teams, fire and rescue squads, charities and civic events. Plus, locally owned businesses are more likely to hire locally than retail chains.
The town encourages shoppers to explore the community from one end of town to the other. Gleason expects shoppers be surprised to discover how much locally owned businesses have to offer – farm equipment, RVs, hardware, garden tools and supplies, electrical services, furniture, gas, hunting gear, car care, home décor, primitives, art, antiques, food, places to dine and entertainment.
Small Business Saturday is the perfect day to get reacquainted with the town’s longstanding businesses, he said, as well as discover its new businesses which have opened since participating in this year’s Gauntlet Competition. Buchanan’s new businesses include the Anchorage House B&B, Budget Couture, Ribbon Me This, Patina Creek Creative and James River Drip.
At its Nov. 9 council meeting, Buchanan’s town leaders passed a resolution of support and recognition honoring the community’s small businesses and encourage the public to rally around the community to show support of locally owned businesses on Small Business Saturday.
“When you consider how many small businesses surround us in our everyday lives, it is hard to imagine life without them. Let’s support our local independent merchants on Small Business Saturday and thank them for sustaining our prosperity,” said Gleason.
Buchanan invites the public to kick off the Christmas season on Small Business Saturday with a Virtual Tree Lighting at 7 p.m. While COVID may prevent the traditional gathering along the sidewalks of Main Street, Buchanan will be hosting a Virtual Tree Lighting video with a Facebook post allowing you to enjoy the lighting from the comfort of your home. Santa will lead the countdown, then throw the switch to light up the Town Christmas Tree and Festival of Lights on the Buchanan Town Park. The public is welcome to enjoy the lights along Main Street, the Town Tree as well as the new drive-thru light display on the Town Park.
For the latest details please check the Town of Buchanan website and Facebook page for daily updates.
