Now that we have endured Black Friday, where we celebrate the holidays by stampeding into big-box stores buying the season’s latest useless trinket, we are now, today, at Small Business Saturday. On this day, we celebrate and support the small, neighborhood businesses and shops in our communities that truly are the engines of local economic development.

I try to purchase my goods in small stores whenever I can; I urge you to do the same, to support those small businesses that have a relationship with the community, and keep their dollars there.