So many Sunrise Corner businesses have stepped up during the pandemic to ensure we have local access to the products and services we need and want. With the holiday season just around the corner, now’s a great time for us to show our appreciation.While it seemed at times as though the pandemic hadn’t impacted our local businesses as much as in larger centres, there were many challenges that customers perhaps didn’t realize. Think about restaurants only being able to offer curb-side pick-up so having to lay off serving staff. Imagine the hair salons that had to space out appointments to allow time for sanitizing between customers, significantly reducing their revenue, now even more so as they’ve been forced to close yet again. Every businesses that remained open has seen increased costs to provide staff with personal protective equipment and enhanced cleaning protocols to keep both customers and staff safe.
So what can we do?
Shopping local quite simply has never been more important. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Create a gift basket of all local products by buying from vendors with the South East Farmer’s Market and Stuartburn-Emerson Franklin Local Food Initiative.
- Order a new holiday wreath or table centrepiece from your favorite crafter.
- Reach out to your neighbourhood hair stylist or manicurist to buy gift cards or products with curbside delivery.
- Plan an online video party with a neighbour by delivering pizza to their door – either made fresh at a local restaurant or even frozen from the local grocery store.
- Arrange a monthly delivery of treats from your favorite baker to a special senior in your life.
- Buy a book from a local author.
- Purchase a fuel card from one of our local gas stations for a university student returning home for the holidays.
- Pick up take-out meals or gift cards from your nearest Sunrise Corner restaurant.
Over the next 39 shopping days until Christmas, Sunrise Corner will be sharing social media posts from local businesses on their Facebook page. If your business has a holiday special or new products, you’re providing delivery service or offering gift cards, let me know via email or message Sunrise Corner on Facebook.
In the meantime, there is plenty we can do that doesn’t cost a penny.
- Like, follow and share local business Facebook pages and posts of holiday shopping ideas.
- Write a Google or Facebook review on the great service you received in the past.
- Post a picture on Instagram of local gift ideas, tagging the vendors in your post.
- Send an old-fashioned Christmas card in the mail to thank them for their service.
Let’s all show some holiday love to our local businesses with these simple acts of appreciation.