Your PA Wilds Shopping Guide for ‘Small Business Saturday’
- by LaKeshia Knarr
- November 17, 2019
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Summer’s passed. Fall is here. And the winter holidays are just around the corner. Holiday shopping season is upon us, which means everyone is beginning to search for the perfect gifts for each of their loved ones.
What if, with one gift, you could show your loved ones how much you care about them, while also celebrating your region and uplifting the artisans near you?
Good news is, you can!
And “Small Business Saturday” is the perfect opportunity to do so.
This year, the event that celebrates small businesses and encourages shoppers to uplift community entrepreneurs will take place on Saturday, November 30.
When you shop locally in the Pennsylvania Wilds, you are doing more than just providing a good gift!
In addition to helping your own wallet (by not having to pay additional shipping), you’re helping the environment (products aren’t being shipped so far!), and regional shopping strengthens the local economy while also supporting local makers and businesses.
In fact, shopping locally has a ripple effect, making your dollar go further in the community in which you live. Studies show that money spent at a local business generates 3.5 times more wealth for the local economy compared to money spent at a chain-owned business, according to CustomMade, an online marketplace for custom goods.
If you think about finding the perfect gift as a chance to explore more of what the Pennsylvania Wilds has to offer, you’ll have an even better time doing it!
From shopping at PA Wilds Conservation Shops (gift shops run by the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship and featuring locally-made and value-added products from the region); to utilizing the PA Wilds Buyer’s Guide (a free, easy-to-use tool that outlines retailers and professional artisans in the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania); to literally hitting the bricks, and meandering the quaint downtowns of the region, there are plenty of options from which shoppers may choose.
(Photos above: PA Wilds Conservation Shop at Kinzua Bridge State Park, PA Wilds Buyer’s Guide 2018 cover, winter scene in downtown Wellsboro by Tim McBride.)
Learn more about shopping in the Pennsylvania Wilds at www.PAWilds.com/Activity/Regional-Shopping.
