This holiday season seems all about getting “a deal.”
As we prepare to celebrate another holiday season in recession, your local merchants everywhere are carrying great merchandise at lower pricing. It’s no different in SoMi where our own merchants have done it in great taste, discarding junk items so you can shop with confidence in quality as well as face-to-face service from someone you know.
On national and local levels, couponing has reached epic levels. Newsletters and national chains are clogging my inbox (and yours) with powerful offers: 40%, 50%, free shipping, and on and on.
But what I know, and you probably know,,too, is that the best deal of all is to “Shop Local.” For me, ‘local’ means our Red Sunset Merchants members who have everything I will need for a great holiday season. (Sorry, national retailer, I just can’t be with you this year. Gap, Banana Republic, you know I love you but Isabel’s, Marisols, Ms. Pepper, The Dressing Room, and My Sisters Closet must out-scarf you this time around).
Michelle Watch, I’m so happy I can find you on Sunset Drive at Elements of Time. (Sorry Tourneau, not this year).. Power tools for him and thinking Home Depot? Dan and Ceci at Ace Home Centers just may have what you need with competitive pricing – and hometown service, too. Whether you need a national brand or a vintage treasure, local merchants will likely have it.
I am so confident in our town’s ability to satisfy everyone on your holiday shopping list that I offer my services as a personal shopper. Email me at amy@communitynewspapers. com, tell me what you are looking for —
I guarantee I’ll find it among our South Miami shops!
Remember, for every $100 spent in independently- owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that same amount in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing stays here unless, of course, it’s a Miami-based online store. Lots of our local merchants have terrific online stores.
Happy Holidays!
Amy Donner is the President of The Red Sunset Merchants Association a 90 member, not-for-profit business association with a mission to foster the economic interest of the area around Red Road and Sunset Drive. Amy can be reached at Amy@communitynewspapers.com.
