Small Business Saturday shopping fuels growing Marble Falls economy
Angel Mitchell works on the Christmas tree at J&J’s on Main in Marble Falls. Shop owner Lindsay Burrow and many businesses in the Highland Lakes depend on people shopping locally. Since 2010, American Express has emphasized the importance of shopping locally through its annual Small Business Saturday: Shop Small promotion, which is Saturday, Nov. 25, this year. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
STAFF WRITER CONNIE SWINNEY
MARBLE FALLS — City and business leaders are promoting a “shop local” theme this holiday season to motivate shoppers to support mom-and-pop businesses and boost the local economy.
The Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce is participating in the American Express Small Business Saturday campaign as a way to highlight what local merchants have to offer.
“We’re a small community, and we have many locally-owned businesses,” said chamber Executive Director Patti Zinsmeyer. “If you shop in Marble Falls and you live here, you are helping the economy of your own town.”
In Marble Falls, purchasing retail goods and services fuels sales-tax figures, which grow the profit margin for merchants and add money to the city’s budget.
According to the Marble Falls Economic Development Corp., taxable sales have steadily increased for the past five years, which has translated into more sales-tax dollars paid back to the city by the state.
So far in November 2017, taxable sales have been reported as $37,985,087.
That number is up more than 8 percent from the previous year’s November report, even prior to the start of the shopping season, according to the EDC.
“It fuels the economy,” Zinsmeyer said about shopping locally. “At this time of the year, people are holiday shopping, visiting displays, going out to our nice restaurants, and many of them are spending the weekend here.”
Also, there’s another benefit of putting Marble Falls stores on your shopping list.
“It’s one of the biggest, if not biggest, shopping seasons of the year for Marble Falls,” Zinsmeyer said. “This is unique. There will be items you won’t find anywhere else.”