Main Street Christmas - Support Your Friends & Neighbors

Planning to spread some cheer this Christmas? Focus on community during the holidays and purchase a one-of-a-kind creation from a local small business in your community. By doing so, you’ll be giving a gift that keeps on giving... local support.

In an age where convenience is king, and virtually anything you want is a few clicks or taps away online, it’s more important than ever to invest in your local community. Many small business owners pour their heart and soul into what they’ve built, or are trying to build. Having a successful small business requires an astonishing amount of time, dedication, and resources. But there is one crucial element to their success that they cannot provide themselves, and that’s your support and patronage.

For this Holiday Season, CSB will be promoting local businesses in a feature called "Main Street Christmas." For each of the regular weekdays in December leading up to Christmas, we will be highlighting a local business and the goods or services they provide through our social media channels. The goal is to promote local businesses, and to encourage our friends and neighbors to spend some of their holiday budget locally.

As a locally owned business ourselves, we’re passionate about supporting other local businesses.

We'd like to encourage everyone to follow "Main Street Christmas" on any of the CSB social media platforms using the hashtag #mainstreetchristmas, and share your own local favorites as well. Do you have a local business you love? What's something they do or provide that you'd like to tell everyone about? Please let us know!

Benefits of Shopping Local

Did you know that for every $100 you spend at locally owned businesses, $48 out of every $100 is returned to the local economy compared to just $14 when you shop at a national chain1? Or that the country’s 32.5 million small businesses create 62% of net new U.S. jobs annually2? So, when you shop locally, you’re not only putting your hard-earned dollars to work in your community; you’re supporting the engines that fuel our national economy.

Independent, community-serving businesses typically consume less land, carry more locally made products, and create less traffic and air pollution, so it’s good for the environment too. And locally sourced goods and services like those found in our surrounding communities are often crafted by local artisans and are exclusive to our region, making for memorable gift-giving during the holidays and beyond.

If you prefer your gifts without a shiny bow, gift an “experience” to a local event, pick up a meal from the local family-run restaurant, or host an intimate party with a few friends and family. These memory makers are a great way to stay connected as we adjust to the new normal and continue to support small businesses and help sustain the local economy.

Post a picture or video of your favorite locally sourced product and share it on social media as inspiration for others. Better yet, continue the movement beyond the holidays. Show support for entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout the year by shopping locally and encouraging your friends and neighbors to do the same. 


1Source: American Independent Business Alliance “The Local Multiplier Effect”. 2Source: US Small Business Administration (SBA) “Frequently Asked Questions 2021”.