The local economy depends on it

Thanksgiving and its modern follow-up, Black Friday, have come and gone. According to many reports, fewer shoppers than usual stood in line in the wee hours of the morning, waiting for stores to open, and those who did show up planned to spend less money than in recent years.

The urge to get a bargain is understandable; we all like to get more for less, even if our budget doesn't require it.

But you don't necessarily have to drive out of town - still expensive despite falling fuel prices - to big box stores and malls to find a good deal.

If you look around, there's a lot you can buy in Lebanon, from fresh-made cakes to cars, from made in Lebanon chocolates to fair trade imported goods from around the world. If you are looking for any of these - antiques, pastries, flowers, appliances, wedding dresses, bicycles, clothes, archery equipment, carpets, musical instruments, fishing poles, art, furniture, teapots, books, shoes and so much more - you'll find them here.

If you have a question in a local shop, you're more likely to get personal attention from a knowledgeable clerk, and often the owner, than in a monster of a store where you compete with many others at a customer service counter.

Partners for Progress, the ambitious group working to improve downtown Lebanon, is making it easier for those of us with an 8 to 5 work schedule to shop at home, and they're adding some fun with carriage rides, Santa Claus and hot chocolate. They've organized downtown shops to stay open late on the next three Tuesdays in December. (See story, page A1.)

Shopping locally for groceries and other essentials as well as gifts provides needed support for the local economy.

Lebanon is not a large enough city to sell all the things people want to buy, but when we make it a habit to drive out of town, even out of the mid-valley, to go shopping, we pass by local stores that may serve some of our needs.

No matter what a store sells - clothing, food, home furnishings or car parts - to survive it must have a good customer base. Particularly when the economy is in poor condition, with people cutting back on purchases and using cash they have rather than credit they may not, small retail businesses face a rocky future.

Lebanon's population is growing and jobs here are increasing, but to have a healthy community, the opportunity to shop local must be maintained in the short term so we prosper in the long term.