95 days until Christmas. Ok, now pick yourself up off the floor and get shopping.
Isn’t that a sobering thought?
Ok how about this as an action item, plan on supporting your local community by shopping local. If possible, please consider what shopping local means. Shopping local means that the small businesses which are the backbone of our local business community are supported and can continue to stay open, hire staff and earn your support.
Shopping online particularly shopping online via Amazon does not support your local community with the same impact that shopping local does. Shopping local means businesses can hire local staff, provide excellent shopping experiences, answer questions before you purchase and deal with problems head-on. Having a problem, how about speaking directly with a store owner rather than submitting your problem online and waiting for an issue to be resolved, or not.
We are a community which has been tested over the last almost 3 years by the pandemic. Local businesses have been challenged mightily during this period. And not just from the shutdown. Staffing has been challenging, inflation is weighing heavily on local businesses and adjusting to the new normal is taking a large amount of planning and time on the part of the local business community. The lasting effects of the pandemic can be seen in our business community with all the for lease/sale signs scattered throughout our community which are more prevalent than ever. To add to the challenge hiring staff is more challenging than ever.
We all make choices, and the Chamber is asking you to make a choice and shop local whenever you can. Give the local businesses which are an integral part of our business community a try. Shop local, eat local and make the effort to support your neighbor.
Escondido is the second highest retail sales tax generator in San Diego County. Your support of local business comes back to our community in the form of better schools, roads, parks, entertainment and security.
The Chamber urges you to shop/eat local whenever possible for a better Inland North County.
Congratulations to our 20 local Escondido Eats winners as voted by you the community. Escondido Eats began over 2-years ago as an idea brought to the Chamber by the City as a way to support the local restaurant industry which was severely challenged by the shut-down. The Chamber picked up the ball and ran with the program by putting resources behind promoting and monitoring the group to keep it positive and centered on Escondido Restaurants, and it’s working. More than 13,000 of you have joined the group. Your impact is felt, and I know because I have spoken to many of the local restaurants who have told me so.
Thank you, Escondido, and let’s keep the momentum going and spread the support to all local businesses. Bring it on Christmas we’re ready.
Cheers, JR
