This week’s cover story on supporting local businesses kicks off a whole month of holiday shopping. We here at the Bohemian aim to inspire your shopping to happen locally, for a variety of reasons. One, it helps the local economy. Two, it sends a message to the big-box chains who think they can get away with paying employees terribly. Three, chain stores are totally boring, and shopping online is lonely.
All through the month of December leading up to Christmas Day, we’ll be posting testimonials to North Bay businesses we love in Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties, the types of places that come immediately to mind when someone says “Name a local business you can’t live without.” Think of them as positive reviews by people you know you can trust—people who’ve lived and worked here for years.
Just as we did last year with our 25 Days of Shopping Locally project, we’ll feature different businesses on our homepage every day. These are absolutely not paid advertisements; they’re simply the types of places that come immediately to our writers’ minds when someone says, “Name a local business you can’t live without.”
When small businesses thrive, we all benefit. This December, get out there and shop locally.
–Gabe Meline, Editor
Day 1: BeerCraft
Day 2: Bella Rosa Coffee Company
