December 4, 2003

EDITORIAL

Support your town this holiday

Despite the drop in temperatures, the holiday shopping season is heating up. Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa are just weeks away and people are making their gift lists and checking them twice.

Yellow Springs retailers are also checking their cash registers twice, hoping that this month’s holiday shopping blitz does not pass them up. The blue “Holiday in the Village” banners that hang over businesses on downtown Dayton Street and over Xenia Avenue could just as easily say, “Remember us.” Indeed, as Yellow Springers search for that perfect gift, they may overlook, or take for granted, the local retail stores. But that would be a mistake.

Although Yellow Springs merchants rely on out-of-town shoppers and their money to stay in business, those stores still need support from local residents to keep their doors open. Villagers should provide a base of support for local businesses — there’s no guarantee that visitors will return to Yellow Springs to shop, yet local residents can, and should, regularly patronize the businesses here.

The holiday season is an essential time for many local shops, a time when they hope to see as much business as possible to help turn a profit as well as help many get through the slow, cold post-holiday months. Shopping in town also helps Yellow Springs’ many small, independent businesses keep the lights on during this shaky economy.

Shopping in town has additional, and important, benefits. The support villagers give to Yellow Springs businesses is crucial for the local economy. A vibrant economy helps Yellow Springs remain an engaging, interesting town. Every dollar spent in town helps secure local jobs and support local businesses, which, through taxes, help the Village, Miami Township and Yellow Springs school district provide essential services.

The point is not to say to local residents, don’t shop elsewhere. Nevertheless, we are encouraging villagers to make an extra effort to patronize their hometown shops. That can make a big difference for the local economy and members of this community. So help your town this year and shop at home.

— Robert Mihalek