Each year we go to our regular
Journal advertisers, all those locally owned mom-and-pop stores,
with the question, "What do you have in your store that
would make an unusual or clever gift?" We want to give our
readers some thoughtful ideas for holiday gifts that are available
at stores owned and operated by their neighbors. We are not calling
for a boycott of the chain stores, but economists will tell you
all of dollars spent with a local merchant will stay here and
be re-spent many times over, rippling througho
ut
the community in the form of salaries and new purchasing.
Many of these stores also carry handmade items
by local artisans. If you purchase locally made gifts from locally
owned stores, well so much the better.
And please don't forget to patronize the many area
crafts fairs this season. Stores often need to charge up to 40
percent in overhead to display and sell the work of local artists
and crafters. At crafts fair, these artisans get to keep a bigger
share of the proceeds of their creative work.
We normally publish two Gift Guides each year Thanksgiving
week and the week prior to Christmas. This year, because of the
beautiful full color capability of our printers, the Guide will
continue as a special section each week through the issue of
Dec. 21 with many new items each week. Think of it as Humboldt
County's weekly catalogue of cool ideas. If you are an artisan
or merchant and want to be included, call 826-2000 and ask for
advertising information.
Happy Holidays from all of us here at the North
Coast Journal
