While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are known for their major sales and profits following Thanksgiving, local businesses are hoping consumers will help with their bottom lines in a year where it’s needed more than usual.

Small Business Saturday has become an annual time for community members to support locally owned shops and stores during the rise of online shopping. Much of the leadership in Orange County, including town mayors and business alliances, have urged their residents to do the same and aid businesses who have seen challenges amid the pandemic.

Aaron Nelson, the president of the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, is one of those leaders encouraging people to shop locally for deals this weekend. He says with everything that’s happened to small businesses this year, doing so couldn’t be more important.

“We’re asking everybody to redouble their efforts to buy local,” says Nelson. “When you buy local and spend it here, your money stays in your community. It recirculates better to help pay local wages, it helps local businesses stay successful so they can pay their rent, buy products and they can support our communities.”

Most businesses struggled with restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the initial months of the pandemic. As those restrictions eased and more knowledge about the coronavirus emerged, businesses were able to reopen. But not all have seen customers rush back. Indoor gathering limits, adapted operations and continued concern about public health are all elements to why some small businesses still need a holiday boost.

In a community where small business is so integral to the overall economy, those challenges have often hit directly home. In Chapel Hill, the lack of many UNC students in the community due to remote semesters has hurt some businesses. In Carrboro, locally owned businesses make up 95% of the town’s landscape.

Nelson points to Orange County’s lower COVID-19 trends as a positive sign and says the community should be proud of its work to protect each other. He said because of such reported data and the commitment from residents to follow guidelines, local shoppers should feel relatively comfortable going to small businesses this weekend.

“The fact we are masking up and staying safe is really keeping this community much safer than other place,” says Nelson. “Most [people are] going to the grocery store and if they go to the grocery store, they should feel comfortable engaging with local retailers. Local retail is ready to receive them.”

Nelson says he wishes Orange County residents will aim to help their local business scene even beyond Saturday. With the holiday season now upon us, he says supporting shops, restaurants and other businesses through the end of the year could make a big difference in helping keep operations going.

“My request is [for community members to] make that commitment,” Nelson says. “If you’ve wondered, ‘what can I do to help my local community in these very difficult times,’ it’s making the commitment to buy local.”

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.