Faces Behind the Counter: The homegrown spirit of local business owners

TIFTON — Malls and big-box stores might offer greater convenience when it comes to shopping, but they often miss out on an important factor of the customer experience: personability. Shopping local, especially during the holidays, feels all the more special because of the sense of community that comes with stopping in at one of your locally owned businesses. Rather than knocking out your Christmas shopping list at one of a dozen chain stores with locations across the country, you’re spending your money in support of neighbors and fellow community members, who in turn welcome you into their shops with the kind of warmth you won’t get online or from a big-box store. Even more than that, that money spent locally further contributes to that community spirit — each dollar you spend both supports the growth of those local businesses, and remains in circulation within the local area to spearhead reinvestments into business, infrastructure, and community wellbeing.

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