Shopping local makes the season merry for all

If the start of the holiday shopping season Friday and Saturday is any indication, Mat-Su Valley retailers may be in for a merry one this year.

The crowds plowing their way through the aisles sifting through bargains and navigating overflowing check-out lines may be a tribute to the materialistic side of the holiday season, but this weekend has also been a tribute to shopping locally. The less one heeds the shopaholic pull of Anchorage’s huge indoor malls is the more our local dollars continue to circulate throughout our own communities.

Part of that 10-spot dropped at Chimos helps pay the employees there, who then spend their money at other local retailers, and on and on. The spirit of giving is strong in the Mat-Su Valley and we are pleased that spirit gives longer and further when the spending stays close to home.

You can find the big box experience at Wal-Mart, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Fred Meyer for those hot, gotta-have items of the season, then visit your independent retailers for those truly unique and special gifts. As the Valley continues to be the fastest growing area of Alaska, developing our economic resources and establishing a strong economic footprint is going to be a challenge. The first step is to spend at home. Shop locally this year and make it a Mat-Su merry one for all of us.