‘Tis the season! I love walking through North Hempstead’s downtowns during the holiday season. The streets become a winter wonderland. Street poles are decorated with hanging snowflakes or wrapped in garland. Stores are decorated with wreathes, lights, menorahs and trees. The air is brisk and every store is happy to greet you with a smile and holiday cheer.
This year, we will see a different type of holiday cheer. The pandemic has changed our lives and the way we shop. Many shop online and get packages delivered to their homes but we cannot discount the idea of continuing to shop local.
This doesn’t change the fact that small businesses drive our economy and should be supported. Roughly 60 million people are employed by small businesses throughout the United States.
That works out to about half of the entire private workforce. Those numbers mean that small businesses are always important to making sure we stayed employed and our economy keeps running.
Whether on Main Street in Port Washington, Plandome Road in Manhasset, Old Northern Boulevard in Roslyn or Westbury Avenue in Carle Place, this is a great time to visit our downtowns and shop local.
These “brick and mortar” stores that populate our downtowns create jobs for our neighbors and bring services to our communities. They are vital to creating a vibrant economy for Long Island. There is no better way to connect with your community, meet your neighbors and feel a sense of holiday spirit than by supporting local businesses during this holiday season.
These “Main Streets” definitely have an important part in our community. They promote tourism and make our town a true destination by providing distinct character and adding to the flavor of what North Hempstead is really about.
They provide delightful hospitality and a wide variety of choices when we go out to eat with our friends and family. Our local businesses are the ones that contribute most to our neighborhood fundraisers and organization events. They provide gift certificates and merchandise to our PTAs, Scouts, Youth Athletic Leagues and other charitable causes. And when it comes to supporting important causes, the local Chambers of Commerce throughout the Town of North Hempstead facilitate and led the advocacy. Our downtown communities truly bring us all closer together.
Throughout the town, there will be many holiday festivities taking place in the next few weeks.
Visit your community events like Tree and Menorah lightings to meet our leaders, neighbors and business owners. Take a walk around and visit the stores that surround these holiday occasions. You may find a store that will quickly become your favorite place to visit or a restaurant that has a delicious bowl of soup to warm you throughout the long winter.
So please, this holiday season, bask in the joy of our Town’s offerings. Enjoy walking through our downtowns to see the different holiday decorations, converse with the various store owners and eat at the wide array of restaurants that line our streets.
Support your community by shopping local for the ever-growing gift list you are looking to fill, because when you shop locally, you are investing in your community. Now, I’m off to fa la la and walk the winter wonderlands of North Hempstead! Come join me this and every holiday season!
