N3 ShopLocal: Beyond The Benefits

Downtown Newaygo Storefront

N3 ShopLocal: Beyond The Benefits
Small Business Saturday
By SWK II

"As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same." - Donald E. Westlake

At N3 World Headquarters and Home of the Christmas Decoration Diva we pretty much assume that you’ve  likely read or heard about all the reasons for buying local. 

​You already know about how the higher percentage of the money you are spending ends up going back into the community when you buy from a local business and how you tend to get better customer service since the folks we’re buying from rely on... 

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...word of mouth more than anything to drive marketing, and it’s positive impact on the environment for those who believe in the concept of reducing our carbon footprint and simplifying life and how it encourages an entrepreneurial culture and so on and so on…..

But you see, promoting any kind of shop local initiative in these parts is really, really easy. It’s not as if  one needs to try to do the whole sow’s ear silk purse thing when one is writing about some of the local opportunities that await shoppers in our fair region.

Let’s take a Small Business Saturday stroll through downtown Newaygo for instance. You can have a fiber fest at the New Ewe snare some of the dried meat masterpieces at Jerkie’s hit Gala Gourmet’s cornucopia of food and foodery items (including the best wine selection to be found in the region) become enchanted by the new digs of Sui Generis, and browse the ample selections of readables at Bay Leaf Books.

Looking for some exceptionalism in clothing and accessories? Check out the Elizabeth Halsey boutique. Searching for stuff for outdoor activity or just wanting that outdoorsy look? Try 37 North where you can find help for that layering initiative generally undertaken in these parts this time of year.

Antiques your thing? There’s a couple of those on our path.

Hungry? Thirsty? Numerous offerings exist along the downtown streets.

Other shops pepper the walkway as well and remember this is all in just one downtown area in just one of our local communities.

Prospects for present purchasing are prolific throughout the Near North and with folks offering some great Small Business Saturday deals the day allows you to reframe the whole attitudinal mindset toward holiday shopping that has likely been bruised by the brutality of Black Friday.

Check out the River Country Chamber ad that is spread across the banner of our home page, click on it for more details, then get ready to grab some bodacious bargains while enjoying the outstanding customer service and wide variety of products offered by our wonderful array of local merchants.

And did I mention food? Because while our motto has always begun with:

Buy Local
Be Local

Let’s add Eat Local to the Small Business Saturday menu.

After all supporting your community can work up quite an appetite.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Virginia Woolf

​Editor Note: When it comes to exploring and reporting on near and not so near shopping opportunities Near North Now welcomes suggestions from our readers. Just go to our contact page,send us a little info on a favorite spot or one you’d like to know more about and either  a member of our highly regarded  consumer investigation team, or the editor, or maybe even the head custodian will be dispatched to check it out.