VIDEO: Why you should shop local — especially today

Did you score some good deals on Black Friday? If you have any money left, your favourite local business would definitely appreciate some.

Today is "Small Business Saturday," a chance for holiday shoppers to spend some cash at neighbourhood retailers instead of big box stores and online giants.

“There is nothing wrong with buying stuff on Black Friday, but hang onto a few of those dollars and spend them in local, independent businesses," says Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Kelly, whose organization represents 97,000 small and medium-sized businesses across the country, was a guest on this week's episode of our Inside the Village podcast.

“Lots of Canadians love independent businesses, they really support them," he says. "They want to live in areas that have lots of cool, independent restaurants and shops. But we gotta support these businesses. They have been put through the ringer — we had the longest lockdowns in the entire world in Canada — so if we can do anything to support local, independent businesses, especially in the retail sector as we go forward through the holiday season, it will be a huge, huge help.”

Kelly says his organization recently conducted some research on the impact shoppers make when they spend locally.

“It showed that when a consumer spends a buck in a small business, 66 per cent of that money stays in the community in which it was spent," he says. "If you buy at a big box store, 11 cents of that dollar stays in the community — and if you buy from a big online giant, only 9 cents of that sale stays within the community.”

You can watch his full interview HERE.

​Inside the Village — hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media — is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.

Every episode can be found HERE. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

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