Shop Locally Online For Small Business Saturday

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Small Business Saturday has long been a follow-up to the shopping frenzy of Black Friday and a way to get out of the house before Cyber Monday.

In a pandemic year, though, can you still support local businesses that may be operating in a different way than in years past?

The answer is an unequivocal “Yes,” if you ask Local First Utah.

“We really want people to understand that buying online doesn’t mean just buying with Amazon or just buying big box stores,” said Kristen Lavolette, executive director of Local First Utah.

Fifty-five cents of every dollar spent at local businesses stay in Utah as opposed to a fraction of that at national chains, she said.

In preparation for this year’s Small Business Saturday, Lavolette said local companies have been innovating to make sure they can get customers’ business – even if those customers don’t want to leave the house.

“You can buy locally at home in your pajamas,” she said. “You can get it delivered probably faster than you can from Amazon, and you’re still supporting our local economy.”

All consumers have to do is check out the website localfirst.org. The site breaks down the participating local businesses into what’s called the Shop Small Digital Crawl.

The guide on the website shows dozens of local shops, what they offer, their online and curbside options, as well as a map to find them if customers want to physically go to the business.