Supporting small this holiday season is supporting your community
Sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday is a staple for shoppers looking to score holiday deals.
But for small businesses, the kickstart holiday shopping event is an opportunity to remind consumers to support local businesses and communities year-round.
“Shopping small is important because those locally owned entities are the ones supporting your fairs and your church organizations,” Greta Mooney, co-owner of Wayne Lumber & Supply in Waynesburg, said. “The way I look at, you can’t pray for a blessing and not be a blessing in return.”
The family-owned business has been supplying the community and fellow local businesses with quality products for decades. With strong ties to the community, Mooney said it was a natural choice to choose another community staple, Community Bank, as their financial institution.
“Community Bank has always been a part of our community,” she said. “It was an obvious choice for us to work with them as well.”
Mooney has been a customer of the bank since she was 16. She and husband, Ryan, relied on Community Bank to finance their purchase of Wayne Lumber & Supply in 2018. She finds that there are many benefits to working with a local bank.
“They know us and we know them. They have a familiarity with our customer base,” Mooney said. “We appreciate it. It’s like “Cheers,” where everybody knows your name.”
More importantly, they share the same ideals when it comes to supporting the community
“Our ideals align with Community Banks’ in supporting the local community,” Mooney said.
Bob Duritza, who own the Shop ‘n Save in Washington, echoes Mooney’s sentiment. For Duritza, working with a local bank has made all the difference.
“They understand our business. They understand our needs, and they are happy and quick to meet them,” he said. “We’ve been with Community Bank for more than a decade. Prior to that, we were with a larger East Coast bank. We’ve found that Community Bank is easier to work with. And we appreciate that.”
Jeanine Henry, Vice President of lending and collections at Community Bank and chairwoman of Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful, said small businesses are the “heartbeat of local economies and communities.”
“When you support local businesses, they in turn support local communities. For every $100 you spend at a local business, $67 stays in the local economy,” Henry said. “Southwestern Pennsylvania is blessed with a variety of small businesses that offer a wide selection of gifts and everyday items. We encourage consumers to shop local and see what they have to offer.”
She encourages consumers to also consider other ways to support small businesses.
“I can’t stress the importance of supporting small businesses through social media,” she said. “Engaging with them or leaving reviews can really impact businesses. Or simply referring a business. Little things like that can really add up for small businesses.”
As consumers ramp up their holiday shopping, Duritza hopes they’ll remember that supporting small, local businesses also benefits their community.
“When you shop local, your money stays in the community,” he said. “We all live and work here. The profits aren’t going somewhere else. And because of that, we’re able to give back to the community through donations and support other local businesses when we can.”
Community Bank is a locally-managed, independent bank that offers comprehensive financial services to regional businesses and residents. Chartered by the United States in 1901 as the First National Bank of Carmichaels, Community Bank has steadily grown over the last 120 years.
Today, Community Bank continues to offer steadfast personal service, coupled with the latest in financial services and technology. With offices in the Tri-State region and with dedicated commercial relationship officers, Community Bank offers old fashioned relationship banking, notable for its speed, flexibility and common sense.
To learn more about Community Bank, and the services and products they offer, visit www.communitybank.tv.
Sponsored content brought to you by Community Bank.