As the holiday shopping season begins, the Summerland Chamber of Commerce urges Summerlanders to look to local businesses.
Arlene Fenrich, president of the chamber, said local shopping will help the community.
“Shopping local is best for the economy in every way,” she said.
“It provides local jobs and returns more money to our local economy than buying at chain stores.”
She added that it is also up to the retailers to attract customers to the community.
“We can’t use guilt as a motivator to entice people to shop locally,” she said.
“We must be able to offer them something different than a shop in Penticton or a big box store in Westbank. Our product offerings must continue to be unique and our relationships with our customers personal.”
The annual Festival of Lights on Friday, Nov. 29, traditionally marks the start of holiday shopping in Summerland.
