While many will rush to big box stores on Black Friday, the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce is urging Puebloans to consider shopping local on Small Business Saturday.
From eating at bars and restaurants such as Shamrock Brewing Co to exercising at the Pueblo Tennis and Pickleball Center, to shopping at the Ethos’s Winter Bazaar or checking out a puzzle at Pueblo Puzzleworks, Pueblo shops and restaurants have plenty to offer for locals and visitors alike.
“These small businesses rely on our locals to go in and visit their stores all year, but especially around this time of year. The impact to, say, Amazon, isn’t the same as the impact when you shop at a small, local, retail shop owned by citizens of our community. Those small businesses rely on local support all year to stay open and survive,” said Duane Nava, chair of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.
This year, shopping local is especially important, said Nava, on the heels of a government shutdown that paused SNAP benefits for a quarter of Pueblo County’s population and created ripple effects through the local business ecosystem.
“Those 40 or so days when the government was shut down, and people were a little afraid of spending, businesses are hopeful that our smaller communities like Pueblo will support those local businesses, because they have to make up the losses they took during that shutdown,” Nava said. “This year, our small businesses are being heavily impacted with online sales and online shopping, and any way we can support them to help them, not only this time of the year but to survive those slower times, is super important to our local economy and the local sales tax for our city.”
In a community spotlight post, the chamber particularly asked shoppers to support local shops at the Pueblo Mall.
“Some of these guys are just trying to provide for their families and stay open,” said Nava. “They’re not becoming millionaires, they’re just trying to provide a service to the community and make a living for themselves and stay open.”
Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on X @jayreutter1.
