With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, the Christmas shopping season is well under way. The ambitious among us already might have crossed all their names off their list and started wrapping. Some might have a few presents purchased, with more to go. And then there are those who have yet to buy a single gift. Gulp. There’s only 19 shopping days left!
But there’s no need to panic. People who shop right here in Hinsdale can avoid driving up and down ramps in large parking lots and standing in long lines at stores in the mall. Of course convenience is only one of the reasons it makes sense to shop local.
Many of the store owners live right here in town — or close by. They take pride in curating merchandise in their stores that they know will appeal to Hinsdale shoppers. And owners — along with well-trained staff — are ready to offer great advice to those who need a hand choosing the perfect gift.
Shopping locally benefits the village as well. The $3.5 million in sales tax revenue the village hopes to collect this year makes up about 14 percent of operating revenue. Supporting local businesses also helps maintain a downtown filled with unique and interesting shops and is an environmentally sound choice (less time on the road!).
A Hinsdale shopping trip can be enhanced by lunch or dinner with friends at one of the village’s great restaurants or a relaxing facial or massage at a local salon.
Other ways to support local businesses include leaving a good tip, joining a local fitness center, leaving a positive review an encouraging friends to shop local, according to the village’s website.
The village is offering a fun way to shop local with its Holiday Shopping Passport program, which runs through Dec. 24. Pick up a passport at a participating business (or village hall or the library) and start collecting stickers as you shop. Each sticker equals one raffle entry and the chance to win fabulous prizes.
Participating businesses are Café la Fortuna, Expressions Gallery of Fine Art, Glimpse Vision, Hinsdale Bank & Trust, Hinsdale Mobil gas station, Hinsdale Wine Shop, Karat Jewelry Group, Kelsey Resale Boutique, Kramer Foods, Marcus, Meredith Jaye, Peak Running/Peak Lifestyle, Phillip’s Flowers and Gifts, Razny Jewelers, Sterling & Knight Jewelry & Pawn, Stockholm Objects and Sweet William.
The village and Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce also have scheduled some special events to make a trip downtown even more fun. The annual Christmas Walk will take place tomorrow, Dec. 6. See Page 34 for details.
Hinsdale for the Holidays on Saturday, Dec. 7, is a free event in Burlington Park that will be fun for the whole family with cookie decorating, horse-drawn carriage rides, visits with Santa and other festive activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Santa will return to his house in Burlington Park to take additional gift requests from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 14 and 21.
We’re doing our part, too, to support retailers this season with our annual holiday gift ideas series. Last week Angela Lavelli, owner of Café la Fortuna, picked out items for family and friends. This week our special shopper is attorney Paul Garver of Hawbecker & Garver LLC, who lives and works in town. You can find the stories on Page 5 of the paper through Dec. 19. On the day of publication and after, articles are available online at http://www.thehinsdalean.com.
Shopping local is a gift you can give yourself — and is one that will keep on giving.
