Make a community contribution: Shop local businesses

On a recent weekend, my friend Trish and I went Christmas shopping. We weren’t in Hamburg or Lexington Green or Palomar. We went to Versailles.

We started out with lunch at Melissa’s and had some of the best soup —roasted red pepper and smoked gouda, and homemade bread pudding we’ve ever tasted. And we shopped at the Amsden Coffee Bar, Mercantile on Main and 5 Seasons.

After a walk up the street, we reminisced about practically living in the Woodford County Library as kids. Then we rounded the corner and went to Mrs. Roger’s Popcorn and Sweets, the latest new shop to go in where the Versailles United Methodist Church was.

After a great conversation with the owner, we walked over to the Amsden Bourbon Bar for a little warmup. The stores on Main Street are limited, it’s true. But the number of businesses downtown is growing.

There’s a gelato store going in next to Mrs. Roger’s and Rolling Ovens is due to open a pizza place soon. Plenty of small businesses are popping up all over Woodford County.

Heck, plenty of businesses are already here. And don’t even get me started on all the great things Midway has to offer. Woodford County isn’t just all horse farms and bourbon distilleries.

But, in many places we were the only people there.

I’ve long been an advocate of supporting local businesses. It’s something my mother taught me when I was young. Like recycling, my mom was doing it before it was a hipster habit. Sure, we could go to Kroger’s and get gas — heck, most times I do — but my mom goes to the Marathon station on Lexington Road instead.

She goes there because it’s locally owned, they pump the gas for her and they still check her oil and put air in her tires. Also, they’ve been there forever, like the Woodford Sun, Woodford Seed and Corner Drug.

These businesses have been doing their part to support the local economy for decades. It’s important for the community to support these businesses, too. Small businesses are economic drivers in any community.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 60 percent of all businesses have no employees. Small businesses (those with fewer than 500 employees) account for 99.7 percent of all businesses and for 65 percent of all job creation.

In fact, 40 percent of all U.S. employees work for small businesses. In 2015, small businesses created 1.9 million jobs. And in just one quarter of 2016, 240,000 small businesses hired more than 872,000 people.

Small businesses do more for a community than provide goods and services for sale. They keep the community alive. Shopping at a local small business doesn’t pay for a corporate bigwig’s third yacht. It pays for a shop owner’s daughter’s ballet lessons. It pays for a neighbor’s mortgage. It pays for your son’s teacher’s lunch. It pays for your fellow church member’s electricity bill.

And shopping at local businesses proves that a community is a place to put other businesses. When small businesses are successful, their success breeds more success. When larger companies know that a community supports its local businesses, they want to be where the people are.

For those who want to give something extra this Christmas, shopping small is the answer. Supporting local businesses gives back in so many ways. It not only helps your neighbor pay for their Christmas, but it help the community pay for the things it needs.

Who knows, those slippers you buy for Grandma just may be the purchase that’s needed to create a job for Uncle Billy next spring.