Shop early to get your holiday gifts on time! The supply chain is even more disrupted this year due to COVID-related labor shortages in publisher warehouses, printing capacity limitations, and shipping issues. All of which means potential out-of-stock items and order delays. Find the perfect gift early this holiday season. November is the new December!
Let’s ensure that independent businesses have strong end-of-the-year sales by supporting them now:
- Pre-order gifts and supplies today
- Buy a gift card
- Support their fundraising campaigns
- Donate to your community’s Independent Business Alliance
- Share on social media how much you love locally owned businesses (tag your post with #shopindielocal #taoschamber #taoscountychamberofcommerce #taosmainstreet)
- Share October is the December posts on social media
Shop early and shop Indie Local — in person or online — then sit back and relax with a good book (or two) for the holidays.
Plaid Friday
Plaid Friday celebrates the diversity and creativity of local and independent businesses. It’s a fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store “Black Friday” consumer frenzy. Also, it’s a way to show your support for our local economy. So plan to wear PLAID the day after Thanksgiving!
Plaid Friday History
Plaid Friday was created by Kerri Johnson in Oakland, CA, to bring back the time when shopping for friends and family was a pleasurable leisurely activity. Now it is celebrated throughout the nation as part of the Shop Indie Local Campaign.
“At the time Plaid Friday was conceived, there was a growing movement to boycott all shopping on “Black Friday.” I, as well as many of the people I knew, avoided the craziness of that day. Most small businesses didn’t even open. At the time, I had a small artist-run gallery that I ran with my husband Jason, and we would turn the gallery into a pop-up shop featuring local artisans for the holidays. I thought why not turn this crazy day into something relaxing and enjoyable, giving people an alternative to shopping at the malls at 3 am. The idea was to get up late, grab a coffee, and explore the neighborhood, discovering small businesses and shopping local. A win-win for everyone.”
Read more about the roots of Plaid Friday.
How Indies Celebrate Today
- Encourage your staff (and your partner’s staff) to wear plaid (Not open on Plaid Friday? Check out what Badger Balm does the day before Thanksgiving)
- Photograph customers who visit your business wearing plaid (browse our photos for inspiration)
- If you offer any holiday specials/sales/events, brand them as a Shop Indie Local promotion
- Create a display featuring locally made items
- Use plaid ribbon, tissue paper or buy local bags
- Have ideas to add? Please share them with us!
Here’s how one community celebrates: Plaid Friday in the Monadnock Region, NH
Has your community celebrated Plaid Friday? We’d love to learn more about how you celebrate. Drop us a line!
Happy Shop Indie Local Season
From October 1 – December 31, Shop Indie Local celebrates locally owned businesses and works to increase spending at these businesses.
Our campaign urges shoppers to take positive action and boost the ripple effect of economic and community benefits our neighborhoods, towns and cities receive when we spend dollars at locally owned, independent businesses.
Tools and Resources
Sign on today to become a Shop Indie Local Partner and get access to our tools and resources.
Become a Partner
Shop Small – Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is coming! As part of Shop Indie Local Season, apply to become a Shop Small® Neighborhood Champion today.
Small Business Saturday is November 27
Become a Shop Small® Neighborhood Champion to help bring small businesses and shoppers together this holiday season and beyond. Application closes November 9, 2021.
From Shop Small:
Help make the annual Small Business Saturday® a big success. Because no matter how you get involved, every little bit makes a big difference.
Browse the Shop Small Resource Hub.
Cider Monday
That’s not a typo! Instead of Cyber Monday, a day when online merchants offer special deals, we invite you to a new tradition, CIDER MONDAY. Willard Williams of the Toadstool Bookshops in Keene, Peterborough, and Nashua, NH dreamed up Cider Monday as an antidote to Cyber Monday. It’s also a perfect way to celebrate Shop Indie Local Season.
He shares, “Stop in for a free cup, maybe a snack, see some real people, and have a good time checking out what’s in our stores. It’s sure to be a heartwarming experience. We can promise no crashing websites, our ‘servers’ won’t be overloaded, and we bet they will even smile at you!”
Giving Tuesday
GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.
By raising your hand to participate in GivingTuesday, you’re a part of something big that’s happening in every country, on every continent in the world. The entire world has embraced GivingTuesday because of the transformative power of generosity in all its forms – time, talent, treasure, and testimony.
GivingTuesday is a moment, defined by joy and hope, that brings the entire world together. As you plan your campaigns for this year, we hope you’ll think about creative ways you can use GivingTuesday to inspire, inform, build support, and create moments of joy within your community. As always, please let us know your plans so we can share!
~ The GivingTuesday Team
