By Lisa Parent

How businesses are inspiring Hatters to ‘shop local’ for the holidays

Nov 17, 2023 | 4:44 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – As the holidays draw near, many in the community will opt for the convenience of Amazon delivery when seeking gifts, an increasingly favored method for holiday shopping.

However, Shannon Stewart and Sonya Murray of Soul Sisters Apparel say that shopping local can be a more personal and fun experience.

“Everything in the store is something we love and we’ve personally picked that we think our friends, followers and community will love,” says Stewart.

Murray adds, “we don’t want someone to purchase an outfit if they don’t like it because we want them to wear it, we want them to feel good. We want people to say ‘wow, where did you get that great outfit?’”

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However, when large companies occupy advertisement space and offer shopping with just the click of a button, boutiques like Soul Sisters use brand-trust to gain and retain customers.

“It’s hard to compete with Amazon and the big box stores, they dominate during this time of year,” explains Stewart. “But I feel like our relationships that we’ve built in the community definitely help us stay in business and they’re happy to support us.”

Other local businesses are offering lower prices on some items to entice customers, like Darrell Burton Uniquely Different Decor and More in Redcliff.

“We’ve got the better price, but to get people to understand that is a challenge,” explains Burton.

This gift and decor shop brings in about 25% of their yearly sales during the holidays, meaning this is an important time to encourage shoppers to ditch those online purchases.

“Being beside the post office, we see a lot of presents going one way or the other, but we have a lot of people that support us constantly. We’ve had (customers) that look locally before they’ll go online, they always give us the first chance for the sale,” says Burton.

Yet one of the biggest attractions for shopping local, seems to be the fun of in-person shopping.

“It’s the fun of going out and doing something. So just go out, doesn’t matter what business, just go out and check it out and see what they got,” says Burton. “You might be surprised at what you’ll find.”

“Window shop, you don’t have to buy,” says Sonya Murray of Soul Sisters Apparel “It’s fun to window shop and try stuff on and just have a break.”

Both businesses are prepping, and hoping for a busy season of sales ahead.