“When we spend it here, we keep it here, so let’s keep it local with our in-store and online holiday purchases.” 

Chapel Hill, NC: The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro encourages everyone to #ShopSmall on Small Business Saturday, which is the Saturday after Thanksgiving (11/27/21), and #BuyLocal throughout the holiday season.

“Every time we make a purchase at a local business, we support local jobs and help preserve the local character of our community,” said Katie Loovis, Vice President of External Affairs, The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro. “When we spend it here, we keep it here, so let’s keep it local with our in-store and online holiday purchases.”

#ShopSmall on Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is an annual holiday shopping tradition and part of the larger #ShopSmall Movement to support small businesses every day and everywhere. Both Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger and Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle proclaimed Saturday, November 27, 2021 as Small Business Saturday and local business owners shared reflections as they received the proclamations. Watch Coco Chapel Hill owner Tamara Lackey and Carrboro Coffee Roasters and Open Eye Café owner Scott Conary remind everyone how they can #ShopSmall to make a big difference.

#BuyLocal this Holiday Season

Buying local promotes a more vibrant community. In fact, 67 cents of every dollar spent at a local business stays in the community according to the Small Business Economic Impact Study by American Express. There are many opportunities to #BuyLocal in Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro this holiday season:

• Saturday, Nov 27: Small Business Saturday, an annual day to #ShopSmall. Learn more and find a local business – and – pick-up a complimentary local swag bag from the Carrboro Business Alliance (CBA) at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market from 9-10am.
• Monday, Nov 29: Local Cyber Monday. Join the Chamber and CBA in making it Local Cyber Monday. Find several “One-click Wonders” in the Carrboro Cheer Gift Guide.
• Tuesday, Nov 30: Local Giving Tuesday. Join the Chamber and CBA in making it Local Giving Tuesday. Find a local charity and make a donation.
• Saturday, Dec 4: The 15^th Annual Elf Market, a holiday craft market coordinated by The ArtsCenter at University Place in Chapel Hill from 10am-5pm – and – the Inclusive Business Holiday Market at Extraordinary Ventures in Chapel Hill from 10am-1pm.
• Sunday, Dec 5: Chapel Hill-idays Downtown Market, coordinated by the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and happening the first three Sundays in December on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill from 12-4pm.

• Sunday, Dec 12: Chapel Hill-idays Downtown Market, coordinated by the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and happening the first three Sundays in December on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill from 12-4pm.
• Sunday, Dec 19: Chapel Hill-idays Downtown Market, coordinated by the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and happening the first three Sundays in December on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill from 12-4pm.

Find a Local Business 

The Chamber encourages all community members to find and support local businesses through The Chamber Directory, which now features local businesses grouped by holiday shopping categories: “Local Retail, Gifts, and Apparel;” “Salons and Spas;” “Theater and Art;” “Restaurants;” “Coffee and Sweets;” and a category featuring local Carrboro businesses, called “Carrboro Cheer.”

Chamber Activation

The Chamber is recognized as a Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Champion for outstanding efforts to bring the community together with events and activities on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year. The Chamber Directory connects shoppers with local businesses and the Chamber’s website features a new Buy Local webpage that helps local businesses make the most of Small Business Saturday and the holiday shopping season. In addition, The Chamber will co-host a table at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market on Small Business Saturday with the Carrboro Business Alliance and distribute 150 Small Business Saturday local swag bags. In addition, the Chamber will keep the #BuyLocal momentum going with social media throughout the holiday season (facebook, twitter, instagram) using hashtags #ShopSmall and #BuyLocal. 

Other Activation

The Carrboro Business Alliance is coordinating Carrboro Cheer, an annual #BuyLocal initiative to spread holiday cheer and support local Carrboro businesses. Carrboro Cheer kicks off on Small Business Saturday with a booth at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market from 9-10am, includes promotions for local businesses on Cyber Monday and throughout the holidays as well as promotions for local charities on Giving Tuesday. A hallmark of Carrboro Cheer is the now annual online Gift Guide showcasing more than 60 highly curated, uniquely Carrboro gift ideas, which launch on Small Business Saturday.

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership is coordinating the Chapel Hill-idays downtown holiday market on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill and happening the first three Sundays in December from 12-4pm.

Chapel Hill Media Group is covering the #ShopSmall and #BuyLocal story. Aaron Keck, host of This Morning with Aaron Keck, conducted a 97.9 The Hill radio “Shop Small and Buy Local!” interview with Katie Loovis of The Chamber, Bridget Pemberton-Smith of the Carrboro Business Alliance (promoting the “Carrboro Cheer” initiative), and Tom Proctor, owner of the Vacuum Cleaner Hospital and Central Vacuum Experts. Chapelboro.com reporter, Ava Pukatch, wrote ‘Local Love’: Carrboro, Chapel Hill Urge Shopping Small Business Saturday. 

The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau is amplifying local gift ideas throughout Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and all of Orange County, called “Small Business Saturday in Orange County.”

About The Chamber

The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro (The Chamber) is a membership organization that serves and advances the business interests of Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, including the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro as well as southern Orange, northern Chatham, and southwest Durham counties. The Chamber's network includes more than 700 member enterprises that employ more than 95,000 workers throughout the region. Together with its network, The Chamber is committed to building a sustainable community where business thrives.

Contact

For questions, contact The Chamber Vice President for External Affairs, Katie Loovis, at (919) 696-0781 (cell) or KLoovis@carolinachamber.org.