Some notes on holiday shopping

Some notes on holiday shopping

By Cindy Reid | Like most of us I have some holiday shopping to do, and like most of us I have a limited amount of money to spend. Between the gifts, the gift wrap, the cards, stamps, special holiday foods and all the festive stuff that somehow seems very needed, well, it sure can add up.

That’s why this year I decided to take the money I am going to spend and spend every penny right here in Beaufort at local shops and with local craftspeople.

I figure my hard earned money should go to other people who are trying to make a living too, and not to a giant corporation that doesn’t need my money.

So far I have done pretty good. I went to all the church bazaars this fall and found cool vintage items for the all the retro fans on my list, and some (almost) new hardcover books for the readers.

My favorite shops in town will be next. Bay Street Outfitters will have something special for the man in my life. One of our several art galleries will have something cool for my neighbors and the Lollipop Shop will have something for everybody on my list.

My neighbor is world class knitter and she is already hard at work creating something special for a long distance friend who will delighted with the personal and handmade gift.

I think there is a misconception that buying from local shops and artisans is costly and if you are on a low budget that you have to shop at Wally World.

I have found that I get a much better value at a privately owned shop then from a chain, especially this time of year when all the merchants have sales or free gift wrapping. And, if there is a problem or an exchange needs to be made it is much easier to deal with a person versus a dealing with a policy.

Having worked at small businesses that were mourned when they closed shop, I can assure you that every, even the smallest sale counts, and is appreciated by the local business owners.

It takes all of us to help keep the doors of our galleries, our gift shops, our florists and our restaurants open.

Don’t worry if you are not a big spender- hey neither am I- just spend what you can.