It's the busiest shopping season of the year! Local, family-owned businesses like Southern Natural are so important, and the holiday season is a perfect time to commit to supporting them. Here are just a few reasons why you should be proud to shop with small family businesses during Christmas and all year long.

 

Small family-owned businesses are more likely to give you that personalized, hands-on customer service than you would at a chain store. That's because every sale and customer matters. Getting to know the faces of the family business owners means finding out exactly who you are supporting with your hard-earned dollars. You can make sure that you're spending your money with people you respect and helping support their family, rather than choosing convenience at a one-stop shop like a big box store.

That relationship is so important to the family-owned business, too. For us, each sale is personal, and we keep the communication open. We pay attention to your feedback, which helps us to decide what soaps to carry and what is working for you. We also send out a bi-monthly email that includes important business news to let our customers know exactly what to expect. You don't get that sort of personal touch from big, multinational companies. 

 

When you support a mom-and-pop business, you're helping it to expand that family's brand. Often, they offer an alternative that you can't easily find in the big chain stores. As an example, your support has allowed us to make an important business decision to shift our brand to focus on natural products and away from synthetic ingredients. We've also been able to add to our collection, offering goat's milk lotion, offering a great alternative for those who experience dry skin. We also have been expanding our collection of homemade goat's milk soaps.

 

Local businesses help build up the local economy. Small family businesses contribute to the economy by adding to the tax base and spending their own money close to home, too. Over 99% of the employers in this country are small businesses, and those businesses employ over half of the American workforce. When you shop small, you're strengthening and stabilizing your community in a very real, direct way.

 

Everybody wins when you shop small, local family businesses! Maybe you want to beat the rush and shop now, or maybe you're waiting to do your shopping on Small Business Saturday after Thanksgiving. Either way, we're always grateful for your support, and we know you'll feel best about your purchase when you make a decision to do as much shopping as you can with small, local, and family-owned businesses.