Jangle Natural Living in Mount Horeb is an ideal Shop Small location.
WEDC officials will visit locally owned businesses and vibrant downtowns
MADISON, WI., NOV. 20, 2024– This holiday season, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is urging everyone to visit and shop at Wisconsin’s unique small businesses that help make our communities more vibrant and our state more prosperous.
Governor Tony Evers has proclaimed Nov. 30 through Dec. 31 as “Shop Small Season.”
“Small businesses are the heart of our communities and downtowns. They bring people in to shop, gather, and celebrate,” said WEDC Secretary Missy Hughes, who will be visiting businesses in communities across the state. “The holiday season is an important time for us to all support local businesses as it’s the time of year when many businesses make the bulk of their revenue.”
WEDC Deputy Secretary and COO Sam Rikkers is kicking off Shop Small Season events Friday by visiting downtown Elkhorn and touring the city’s new Welcome Center Plaza, where a Vibrant Spaces grant from WEDC helped transform a formerly vacant lot into a relaxing space featuring local art and seating. The Vibrant Spaces grant program was designed to help communities revitalize underused spaces to help make their business districts more attractive.
Afterward, Rikkers will be in Lake Geneva to visit several downtown businesses.
On Nov. 26, Rikkers will be shopping in Columbus and Portage, where he will visit a pocket park near an Ice Age Trail trailhead that was created with the help of a Vibrant Spaces grant, while WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes will be shopping in Middleton.
On Nov. 30—also known as Shop Small Saturday—Rikkers will shop in Darlington and Platteville.
Other Shop Small events are planned in December in the communities of Appleton, La Crosse, Waupun, Waupaca, Sun Prairie, and Ellsworth.
Supporting small businesses is one of the best things you can do this holiday season, said Kristen May, executive director of the Darlington Chamber of Commerce.
“Our downtown district serves as a hub and gathering place for the community to shop, visit, dine, and enjoy community events,” May said. “The strength of a downtown district trickles over to other shopping in the community and encourages other businesses to want to join our town. Downtowns are the heart of our communities.”
Studies have shown that for every $100 spent at a local business, $68 typically stays in the community, while only $43 remains when spent at a national chain store.
“In today’s economy, small business owners are having a more difficult time due to decreased sales and increased costs,” said Michael Walsh, executive director of the Platteville Main Street Program. “Shopping locally not only keeps more dollars in the community, but it also ensures the survival of businesses and downtown districts.
“Business owners are also teachers, coaches, and members of multiple organizations that make our community prosper,” Walsh continues. “The impact that small businesses have reaches the entire community and beyond.”
Michelle Haas, owner of the driftless shaman in Darlington, is excited for the upcoming holiday season and helping her customers find the perfect gifts for their friends and family. She creates a customer experience that’s difficult to find at larger retailers.
“I love watching others experience the magic at the driftless shaman,” said Haas, a former travel nurse. “It is truly an enchanted, fairy tale-like environment where I get to see others light up with wonder, joy, and intrigue.”
