Whether it’s at a gift market, online or at a brick-and-mortar location, shopping small benefits communities in numerous ways. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)

With the holiday season in full swing, most people are on the hunt to find the perfect gifts to place under the tree.

As more and more shoppers turn to large online retailers, many people are highlighting the importance of supporting local small businesses.

Buying from local small businesses keeps money in the community, explained Jennifer McRae, executive director of the Evans Area Chamber of Commerce.

“When you support that small business, their money stays here. They are supporting other small businesses; their taxes support the community; their kids go to school here,” McRae said. “When you support a small business, you are sending a child to dance class, providing sports for a child and providing for a family in your community.”

With around 80% of its members being small businesses, the Evans Area Chamber of Commerce focuses on educating consumers about the benefits of supporting local businesses.

“Local small businesses also provide part-time jobs for maybe a mom who needs to be home with kids in the afternoon. They are providing jobs for the community in small ways but are still providing those jobs in the community,” McRae said.

Local businesses are also more apt to provide donations and support to community organizations and events, whereas larger retailers may require requesters to jump through numerous hoops and maneuver red tape to receive approval for a donation.

“In Evans and Greeley and the surrounding areas, small businesses support activities like baseball and softball and nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity,” McRae said. “You may not hear about it, but I know more small businesses are putting back into the community in smaller ways.”

Benefits to communities

Despite their name — though a number of factors determine what makes a small business “small” — small businesses have a big impact on the economy. In 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that more than 54% of all businesses had fewer than five employees.

Across the United States, there are 634,285 local retailers and small businesses, according to CapitalOne Shopping. Of that number, 11,881 are located in Colorado.

“Based on collected sales tax and national small business estimates, Colorado independent retailers made up to $85.4 billion in sales in 2022,” the report stated. “American shoppers spent an estimated $3.40 trillion at local stores in 2022, equivalent to 48% of all retail sales.”

While all businesses pay sales tax and other taxes and fees to communities, 68% spent at small businesses remains in the community. Basically, $68 out of every $100 spent goes directly back into the local economy.

As the owner of Cakeable, a small bakery she operates out of her home in Evans, Amber Myers leverages her talents as a baker to support her family and give back to the community.

“I like to work with nonprofits and donate things when I can or just try to be part of causes that my family and I believe in,” Myers said. “When people shop small, the money is going toward things like gymnastics for their daughter or a band instrument for their kid and things like that as opposed to not being sure where your money is going with big corporations. When you support a small business, your money is literally helping out your neighbor.”

Small businesses aren’t just limited to that fashion boutique on the corner. Like Cakeable, they can also be operated out of a home, online or as a restaurant, bar, brewery or service provider.

Places like Makers Mercantile and Studio in downtown Greeley are small businesses that supports small businesses by offering spaces for rent within its brick-and-mortar location. Makers’ rental spaces allow artisans, crafters and other makers, who typically work out of their homes, an opportunity to reach more customers and showcase their items without having to shoulder the heavy overhead costs associated with owning a storefront.

In addition to contributing revenue to cities and towns, small businesses offer consumers more of a “relationship,” often providing much better customer service than many large box stores or franchise service companies.

Sally Otto, co-owner of Makers Mercantile and Studio, said the personal relationships small businesses can build with customers set them apart from larger retailers.

“By starting a business in our own community, our customers include our family, neighbors and friends,” Otto continued. “Their in-store presence allows us to hear their stories, experience their enjoyment of our artisans’ work and connect face-to-face. We go above and beyond because we truly care about those relationships and value the support of our community.”

Otto said the Makers business model allows local artisans and home-based creators to pool their resources to benefit all the vendors with a staffed storefront, marketing and a creative space for workshops.

“This allows the artisans within our mercantile to focus more on creating, teaching classes and growing their own businesses,” Otto said.

As a small business supporting other small businesses, Makers provides consumers with unique products while maintaining a sense of community, Otto said.

“We are fortunate to have a thriving small business community, not just in downtown, but in Greeley as a whole,” she said. “We encourage you to shop locally and be a patron of what makes our city so great.”

Despite being the lone marketing manager, bookkeeper, head baker, artistic manager and other positions required to run a business, one of the main advantages of being a small business owner is the ability to adjust schedules around family needs, Myers said.

“I am taking it a little easier this year so that I can be a little more present with the kiddos. They’re elementary school age so I know time is ticking,” she said. “The fact that I have so much flexibility now — I am constantly reminded about how privileged I am to have that flexibility when I need it and be able to make those decisions for myself.”

For people considering starting their own small business, Myers advises that they should “definitely go for it.”

“You have the ability to pivot if you need to because you’re the only one making the decisions for yourself. If it’s something that they have been thinking about doing, they should at least try. You’re going to discover so much about yourself in the process,” Myers said. “You might discover that it is a great thing for you, but you might discover that it’s not. Either way, it’s going to be fine.”

To learn more about Cakeable, go to www.cakeablenoco.com.

Shopping Small Gift Guide

If you’re looking to support local businesses this holiday season but aren’t sure what’s out there, the Greeley Tribune has compiled a list of boutiques, restaurants, bars and breweries, bookstores and other small businesses in Greeley, Evans, Windsor and around northern Colorado that are privately owned.

Many of these businesses offer gift cards as well as online purchasing options with home delivery or store pickup.

Need some help picking out gifts for friends or family members?

That’s the beauty of shopping small: there’s always someone on hand to help you.

When perusing this list, keep in mind that these are only a few of the many small businesses that operate in and around our region. There are hundreds more that offer a variety of goods, services and products.

For her

• Blush Boutique Co., 805 8th St., Greeley, blushboutiqueco.com
• Lilah Blue Boutique, 721 Main St., Windsor, lilahblueboutique.com
• Cloz to Home, 120 E. Fourth St., Loveland, cloztohome.com
• Charley & Co. Market, 2310  17th St., Greeley, charleyandcompany.com
• Sassy Bagz, 801 8th St., Greeley, sassybagz.com
• Country Glitz Boutique, 1357 Water Valley Parkway, Unit 200, Windsor, countryglitzboutique.com
• Hannah Rachel Boutique, 423 Main St., Windsor, hannahrachelboutique.com
• Accessories With a Flair…And Hair!, 801 8th St., Unit 4, Greeley, accessorieswithaflairandhair.com

For the reader in the family

• The Midnight Oil Bookstore, 827 10th St., Greeley, booksatmidnight.com
• Words of Windsor, 631 Birch St., Unit B, Windsor, wordsofwindsor.com
• Book Haven, 680 E. 29th St., Loveland, (970) 667-6422
• Old Firehouse Books, 232 Walnut St., Fort Collins, oldfirehousebooks.com
• Whampus Used Books, 636 E. Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland, (970) 619-8238

Great gifts for foodies

• Mom’s Popcorn, 900 9th Ave., Greeley, momspopcorncolorado.com
• Old Town Spice Shop, 130A S. College Ave., Fort Collins, oldtownspiceshop.com
• Warm Hugs Mixes and Gifts Boutique, 809 10th St., Greeley, warmhugsmixes.com
• The Cupboard, 152 S. College Ave., Fort Collins, thecupboard.net
• The Bottled Olive Pantry, 1550 Main St., Suite 130, Windsor, thebottledolivepantry.com
• Frank’s BBQ Trading Post, 5943 Sky Pond Drive, Suite E-172, Loveland, franksbbqtradingpost.com
• Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Co., 1 Old Town Square, Suite 103, Fort Collins, mtnman.com
• Innovative Foods, Inc., 4320 Industrial Parkway, Evans, innovativefoods.com

Gift some spirits — and not the spooky kind

• The Shine Shop & Craft Spirits, 2525 10th St., Greeley, theshineshopdistillery.com
• Knotty Pine Liquor, 3304 37th St., Unit 1, Evans, knottypineliquor.com
• The Heart Distillery, 6461 Colo. 392, Windsor, theheartdistillery.com
• 477 Distilling, 825 9th St., Unit B, Greeley, 477distilling.com
• Spring 44 Distilling, 505 W. 66th St., Loveland, spring44.com
• Coral Bay Wine & Spirits, 6624 10th St., Suite 100, Greeley, coralbayspirits.com
• Elevation 5003 Distillery, 2601 S. Lemay Ave., Unit 8, Fort Collins, elevation5003.com

Don’t forget your furry, four-legged family

• Hank’s Pet Food Market, 2287 W. Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland, hankspetfood.com
• Poudre Pet and Feed Supply, 516 Main St., Windsor, poudrefeed.com
• Wagz Market and Grooming, 132 N. College Ave., Fort Collins, wagzcolorado.com
• Doggie Dips and Chips Local Dog and Cat Supply, 265 E. 29th St., Unit C, Loveland, (970) 461-1109
• J&T Feeds, 3616 10th St., Greeley, j-tfeeds.com
• The Biscuit Barkery of Northern Colorado, 804 14th St., SW Loveland, nocobarkery.com

Gifts for kids

• The Nerd Store, 807 8th St., Greeley, thenerdstore.ionsuite.com
• Knowledge Bound online retailer in Windsor, knowledgebound.net
• Games Ahoy! 982 E. Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland, (970) 685-4263
• Marley & Moose, 520 Mountain Ave., Berthoud, marleyandmoose.com
• Jackwagon R/C, 2102 9th St., Greeley, jackwagonrc.com
• Clothes Pony and Dandelion Toys, 111 N. College Ave., Fort Collins, clothespony.com
• Grand Slam Greeley Sports Cards, Comics and Games, 1020 28th Ave., Greeley, (970) 352-3365

Gifts for him

• Don Oscar’s Barbershop, 2918, 10th St., Greeley, donoscars.com
• Whiteside’s Boots, Western & Work Wear, 202 19th St., Loveland, whitesidesboots.com
• Liberty Firearms, 4990 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Johnstown, libertyrange.com
• Garretson’s Sport Center, 3817 10th St., Greeley, garretson-sports.com
• Becker Safety and Supply, 9217 Eastman Park Drive, Unit 5, Windsor, beckersafety.com
• Greeley Hat Works, Inc., 2613 8th Ave., Greeley, greeleyhatworks.com
• Bandwagon Retro Sports Apparel, 19 Old Town Square, Unit 137, Fort Collins, bandwagonfoco.com
• Executive Detailing, 1010 35th Ave., Greeley, executive-detailing.com
• Manweiler Hardware, 418 Main St., Windsor, manweilerhardware.com
• Maker’s Bench, 5000 Goodman St., Unit 101, Timnath, makers-bench.com

Gifts for beer enthusiasts

• Crabtree Brewing Company, 2961 29th St., Greeley, crabtreebrewing.com
• Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project, 127 E. Fifth St., Loveland, verbotenbrewing.com
• Mash Lab Brewing & Kitchen, 4487 Highland Meadows Parkway, Windsor, mashlabbrewing.com
• Horse & Dragon Brewing Company, 124 Racquette Drive, Fort Collins, horseanddragonbrewing.com
• TightKnit Brewing Co., 813 8th St., Greeley, tightknitbrewing.com
• Mountain Cowboy Brewing Co., 318 Fifth St., Frederick, mountaincowboybrewing.com
• Rule105 Brewing, 4731 10th St., Greeley, rule105brewing.com

Gift a fun experience

• Greeley Hatchet House, 820 9th St., Unit A, Greeley, greeleyhatchethouse.com
• The Flipside, 140 E. Fourth St., Loveland, theflipside140.com
• The Moxi Theater, 802 9th St., Greeley, moxitheater.com
• Colorado Model Railroad Museum, 680 10th St., Greeley, cmrm.org
• The Comedy Fort, 167 N. College Ave., Fort Collins, comedyfortcollins.com
• Greeley Game Night at Boomer House, 1028 8th St., Greeley, greeleygamenight.com
• Time Escape Loveland, 770 N. Lincoln Ave., Loveland, timeescapeloveland.com
• The Kress Cinema and Lounge, 817 8th Ave., Greeley, kresscinema.com

Gift a nice meal

• A.K.A. Kitchen, 414 E. Sixth St., Loveland, akakitchennoco.com
• Palomino Mexican Restaurant, 3390 23rd Ave., Evans, bestcoloradomexicanfood.com
• Santeramo’s Pizza House & Italian Food, 1229 10th Ave., Greeley, santeramos.com
• Silver Grill Café, 218 Walnut St., Fort Collins, silvergrill.com
• William Oliver’s Publick House, 514 Main St., Unit C, Windsor, williamolivers.com
• Kenny’s Steakhouse, 3502 10th St., Greeley, kennysteakhouse.com
• The Farmhouse at Jessup Farm, 1957 Jessup Drive, Fort Collins, farmhousefc.com
• Lit’l Bit Bar and Grill, 3620 35th Ave., Evans, litlbitbarandgrill.com
• Henry’s Pub, 234 E. Fourth St., Loveland, henryspubloveland.com
• The Centennial Public House, 819 9th St., Greeley, thecentennial.co