Buy an item from your local toonie store, dine out at a local restaurant, or make a purchase from your local lumberyard this week, because it has officially been proclaimed “Buy Local Week”in British Columbia.
From Dec. 2 to 8, British Columbians are being encouraged to support small businesses and grow the local economy by purchasing made-in-B.C. products and services. This week is your chance to celebrate the economic, social and environmental benefits of shopping local, especially during the busy holiday shopping season.
Residents of Keremeos and the Lower Similkameen are encouraged to take advantage of Buy Local week to check out several new businesses in the area. At least four new storefront businesses are poised to open in Keremeos’ downtown business section in the coming weeks, including a mixed martial arts academy, a dog groomer, a bakery and a reataurant.
Buying local not only keeps money in the Similkameen, , it also contributes to job creation. Small businesses employ more than one million people in B.C. and provide about 55 per cent of all private- sector jobs in the province - the second-highest rate in Canada.