New holiday promotion encouraging people to ‘Shop Small’ in the Santa Maria Valley
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - A new promotion in the Santa Maria Valley is encouraging shoppers this holiday season to support local businesses.
The "Shop Small Santa Maria Valley" campaign was recently launched by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber in an effort to drive more customers specifically to locally owned and operated businesses.
"Shop Small is a program that we've partnered with American Express," said Michael Boyer, Santa Maria Valley Chamber President and CEO. "We want everybody to focus on shopping at small businesses and to really to support small businesses."
The Chamber points out that small businesses are an essential economic driver, not only creating employment opportunities for many people, but also how they provide financial contributions and other donations to many important components within the Santa Maria Valley.
"Small businesses are the foundation of the Santa Maria Valley,” said Jennifer Harrison, Santa Maria Valley Chamber Vice President of Marketing and Communications said in a statement. "We are proud to support the entrepreneurs who fuel our local economy, create jobs, and bring character and heart to our community. This campaign is one way we can amplify their impact during the holiday season."
To help encourage the public to take part in the month-long promotion, the Shop Small campaign includes a financial incentive.
"Go to our Santa Maria Valley Chamber Instagram page," said Boyer. "Just share to tag a friend, tag a small business. Share it on your story. We'll enter you into a drawing. We have three $100 (Visa) gift cards that we'll be giving out."
For those who own or work at a locally owned and operated business, they emphasize how their shopping experience differs when compared one that is owned by a national company.
"When our clients come in, you're not going to find something that other corporate places sell," said Emily Limon, whose family owns the Apricot Lane Boutique in Santa Maria. "We'll get our customers feedback and we'll handpick everything ourselves. We really try to make this an experience for our customers and a place where they can come in after a hard day at work, or maybe they want to celebrate something fun, and can come in and get something great that makes them feel good, and look good, and you just won't get that somewhere else."
The Shop Small Santa Maria Valley holiday campaign runs through the end of the year and concludes Dec. 31, 2025.
