This Valentine’s Day, show your “local love” -- love for your sweetie and your whole community -- by purchasing gifts (or gift-making supplies) and meals (or ingredients) at locally owned businesses. Last year, Americans spent $23.9 billion on Valentine’s Day. Imagine if we shifted some of that spending to locally owned businesses!
Locally owned businesses offer us much to love. They strengthen our local economy, culture, and well-being. Independent businesses re-circulate more money in our community than chain stores. Moreover, studies show that small businesses create most new jobs, meaning today’s local Valentines are tomorrow’s jobs.
Last year’s National Retail Federation survey found that 53 percent of Americans planned to celebrate with candy, greeting cards, and flowers.
Small businesses made it to the top five Valentine’s shopping destinations in National Retail Federation’s survey. The local love spirit is growing! So, continue to show lots of local love this Valentine’s Day. That love will circle back to you, your loved ones, and — best of all — your entire community.
If you plan to shop for Valentine’s gifts online, please check if your favorite locally owned shop has an online store. Or browse our online collection of Valentine’s Day items from independent businesses at TLC Monadnock Mercantile.
Here are some extra special ways to show your local love this Valentine’s Day: Purchase chocolates from Ava Marie Handmade Chocolates in Peterborough, Life is Sweet Candy Shop in Keene, Ye Goodie Shoppe in Keene, and L.A. Burdick Chocolates in Walpole. Have you seen Burdick’s seasonal Chocolate Rabbits to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit? Adorable and available to ship now through January 27. Give a gift that keeps giving, select a weekly Flower CSA Share from Vera Flora Farm in Gilsum, Ripple Cut Flower Farm in Peterborough, or Catbird Flower Farm in Keene. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, meaning your purchase of a share now helps these farmers invest in the future growing season with confidence -- knowing that their bounty will go to a good home. Send a greeting card from Tree-Free Greetings. They make their cards out of sustainable materials such as kenaf, hemp, wheat straw, and sugarcane waste -- right at their solar-powered facility here in Keene. Tree-Free donates 25% of their revenue (not just their profits) to nonprofits through their Cards for a Cause program. Pick up a card online or at Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene. On February 10, join the Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene for their Local Love Sample Night from 4-6 p.m. Enjoy free samples of local and regional goodies perfect for a Valentine’s Day gift or to complement a Valentine’s Day meal.
Check out other local Valentine's events in 2023:
Looking for another way to show the local love and support local economies everywhere? Support our Shop Indie Local crowdfunding campaign on The Local Crowd Monadnock and fuel our year-round movement to grow more local, equitable, and inclusive economies.
With your help, we’ll strengthen campaigns like Plaid Friday and Eat Local Month in your community and throughout North America. Plus, we’ll add new efforts like Move Your Money and Shop Black-Owned Month.
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Offline donations are also accepted. Checks should be made out to AMIBA with “Shop Indie Local” in the memo and mailed to AMIBA, 524 Boston Post Road, Wayland, MA, 01778. Thank you for fueling the Shop Indie Local Movement!
The Local Crowd Monadnock - Keene, NH
