Rhonda Abrams over at USAToday.com has written an excellent post to remind us "Don’t forget to shop at small businesses".  It is thought-out and well worth the read, so I won’t rehash all of the details here.

I’ll give you just one quote to get you started:

Patronizing small businesses is a matter of self-interest, especially
if you’re in business yourself or work for a small company. After all,
I’d bet many of your own clients or customers are also small companies.
By supporting the small business sector, you’re indirectly helping your
own company to thrive.

Go read the post, and I would love to hear any specific stories you have about how shopping with local retailers really worked out especially well.  Leave a comment here to share your story and encourage everyone to shop locally!