It’s been a great start to the Christmas season for Nelson’s downtown. Now it’s up to you to keep the momentum going.
Last weekend’s Customer Appreciation Day in the core was a resounding success. Retailers and restaurants put out an extra effort to reward area residents who stay true to keeping it local. With special sales and offers, shoppers responded in kind. Saturday was a busy day and a perfect answer to the ridiculous Black Friday frenzy south of the border.
As city councillor Donna Macdonald explained in her Wednesday Star column, shopping local is so much more than ticking off the family wish list. It truly is about community. We have a storybook downtown that’s the envy of rural communities across the country. Why wouldn’t we want to take a stroll and explore?
When you factor in the options at the Chahko-Mika Mall and other small pockets around the community, is there really any need to take your cash out of town? Not really.
Tonight there will be another celebration in the downtown. This time with a more Santa-and-his-elves slant. Community groups are pitching in to do their part and shop owners are staying open a little longer to make the stress of Christmas shopping just a little less.
We say this every year around this time, but it always rings true. One of Nelson’s greatest assets is the spirit of its residents to make life in a small town work for everybody. Despite the challenges, if we all pull together good things happen. Keeping your money circulating in the local economy is an important part of making this community work. It’s time to embrace and enjoy the holiday shopping season in our own backyard.