Let the madness begin here …

Frontiersman editorial board

Stores were open Friday at 5 a.m. or thereabouts, in high gear to kick off the holiday shopping season.

Merchants are waiting to see if holiday shopping this year will bring in as much as last year, or whether the slowed economy will make wallets stiffer. Although people have said they plan to buy the same number of gifts, that pledge hasn't been tested.

As the shopping season begins, it seems appropriate to mention that Valley retailers are counting on those holiday profits as much or more than the big box stores that rest an hour away. Sure, penny-pinchers may be able to save a dollar or two if they leave the Valley, but what is the worth of that savings?

That extra dollar spent in the Valley could mean your family has an extra two hours to spend with you during the holiday season. It could also make the holiday season a much happier one for local retailers, who, because of their size, are often forced to stock their shelves at a higher cost than larger stores.

Customers at the smaller, local store may have to pay a little extra, but the service is generally more personal and retailers are often more willing to go the extra mile to guarantee satisfaction. And at the end of the day, the shop owner goes to a home next to those of his or her customers, shops at the same stores, and sends his or her children off to the same schools.

In a small community such as the one in which we live, lives overlap. Small decisions, such as where to purchase holiday gifts, have big consequences -- consequences from which the Valley is still suffering, as retail space built in the boom of the 1980s still sits empty and businesses rise and fall on the strip-mall horizons.

Businesses in small communities are not easy to get off the ground, and harder to keep that way. It takes a lot of effort, but not only on the part of the business owner -- it takes an effort from everyone in the community to make a community's business environment successful. And during the holiday season, supporting small retail businesses is a little easier. Chances are, there's somebody on your list who would enjoy a gift from nearly any retail store in the Valley.

If you haven't shopped the Valley during the holiday season before, make a commitment to purchase gifts locally for at least one person. And take some time to browse and think about next year's Christmas list. Even after a little browsing, if you shop locally, you'll still have plenty of time to get home to spend more time with your family -- and isn't that what the season is truly about?