Rockford mayor to issue ‘Shop Local in December’ proclamation
By Steve Summers and Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Mayor Tom McNamara is set to issue a proclamation on Monday declaring it as “Shop Local in December” month, a move he hopes will encourage people to spend their holiday dollars shopping small.
“We have so many amazing courageous entrepreneurs who own their own businesses,” McNamara said on the This Week in the Stateline podcast. “Your dollar, when you spend it here locally, it stays in our economy a lot longer and it goes a lot further.”
Related: Rockford retailers say shop local mindset is even more critical this holiday season
The proclamation encourages residents to shop locally to strengthen Rockford’s small business community, boost the local economy and celebrate the shops and services that make our community unique. It will be read at the City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall.
“You’re investing not just in that gift. You’re investing in the business owner, you’re investing in our neighbors, and you’re investing in our community,” McNamara said on the podcast. “Our businesses across the country, especially small local businesses, they’re hurting. Our economy is tough, high inflation. So when you’re going to spend money, when you’re going out to eat, eat at local restaurant. Spend money at a local shop. It makes a huge impact.”
A figure often cited on social media states that if adults in the U.S. moved just one $40 gift from Amazon to a small business that it would redirect $10.32 billion in spending to local shops. Using that same math for every employed person in the city of Rockford, it would shift nearly $2.5 million into the local economy.
“Every year, you always have to go out and you have to get gifts … I would just urge people to make those gifts unique,” McNamara said. “You can make them unique and very easily make them unique by shopping local.”
This article is written by Kevin Haas with interviews conducted by Steve Summers for the This Week in the Stateline podcast. Email Haas at [email protected] or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
