By Staff
The saying “shop at home” is quite familiar to Brewton residents this time of year. It appears in newspaper articles as well as print and radio ads, but how many really act upon it?
The reasons why not to also ring in. “The stores are never open after work,” “We always shop in Pensacola, Birmingham or Destin,” and the old stand by, “it's just too expensive.”
Well, here are three arguments why we should: local businesses have extended holiday hours, gas is well over $3 a gallon and who do you think is paying for all the glitz and glamour of the malls and lifestyle centers in larger cities.
Everything wonderful about our small town comes through ten fold during the holidays. The chance to run into friends old and new while walking through our stores allows you to catch up. You can always get storeowners to tell you what a friend or family member has been looking at when you can't figure out what to get them. I suppose it is a positive for living in a town where everyone knows everybody.
Everyone will be surprised at the wide range of items and prices of some very unique gift ideas. My son tagged along with my mother, sister and me to Christmas Downtown on Nov. 15. It was the first time he had been shopping with me in a long time. Being someone who is impossible to shop for, he presented me with gift ideas in every store He even picked up his first piece of legitimate art as an early Christmas gift.
I found myself coming away with memories of happiness after “shopping at home” instead of aggravation, a stack of gift cards and an hour plus drive home through traffic.
I challenge everyone to act upon the “shop at home” idea and realize how lucky we are to have the people and places in Brewton that make it such a wonderful place to live.
Debbie Bell
Brewton