Nelson Silvera gets very passionate when he's talking about the advantages of shopping in small towns.
The new economic development officer in the Town of Essex will tell you he prefers to shop in a store where he knows the owner and how much hard work they've put into their business.
He'll also tell you how shopping in small town stores can pay off for everyone living in that community.
While only $14 or $15 of every $100 spent in a big box retailer stays within the local economy, Silvera says the percentage is much higher when shoppers chose their hometown merchants, more like $48. That's money that can create more jobs.
Considering that many business owners rely on strong Christmas and Boxing Day sales to see them through leaner times of the year, Silvera says buying gifts locally can pay off in the longer run.
"There's often a misinterpretation about small local businesses that -- they can be more expensive than your corporate or big business players, but I think that some of the smaller businesses offer competitive pricing," he says. "We're in a time where supporting local is larger than it's ever been."
Smaller towns across Essex County are already pulling out all the stops when it comes to trying to draw in consumers.
In Leamington Saturday, the Leamington Business Improvement Association presents its Uptown Wide Christmas Open House ahead of the traditional 6pm Christmas parade. Merchants will be serving everything from appetizers at a cut rate to hot apple cider to ginger snap cookies to get shoppers in the door.
Wendy Parson is a member of the Leamington BIA board of directors and is the general manager at the Leamington Chamber of Commerce.
"The police estimate 6,000 to 10,000 people that are watching the parade," she says. "They might not be shopping that night, but they are looking."
In Kingsville, organizers of the 24th Annual Fantasy of Lights Festival have moved their fireworks display to 7pm Sunday December 4 to complement its Sip & Shop Holiday nights event.
