Dear Editor,
With the first of this season’s holiday open houses set for this weekend, the chamber urges you to consider giving a present to the Pittsburg area economy by buying one, some or all of your gifts locally this year. Given the current economic climate, supporting our local merchants has never been more important.
Shopping local is about much more than convenience. The holiday season is make-or-break time for many of our local businesses. When you patronize a local store or restaurant, that business then pays its employees. Those paychecks allow your friends and neighbors to do their own shopping, pay bills, go out to eat, buy gas, put money in the collection plate and perhaps support a local charity or school along the way. If we want those businesses here tomorrow, we all need to support them today. Shopping local also supports essential city, county and state services.
A visit out of the area to buy a trunk full of presents —and, along the way, eat a meal and buy a tank of gas — means not only that our local merchants lost out on the money you spent, but also means that another area and its residents benefited from those purchases.
We realize there may be those items that are only available in the larger areas or online, but we ask that you make those the exceptions and give our local merchants first shot at filling your wish list. Thanks in advance for supporting Pittsburg area businesses this holiday season.
Blake Benson
Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce
PITTSBURG —
