Shopping local is an important part of every holiday season, whether we are talking about Ross County, or anywhere. Last year, $3.56 million in sales tax revenues were made by local businesses during November and December alone.

We want that number to grow in 2023 and we’re excited to announce the Keep the Cheer Here campaign for local businesses. The Chamber has some fun and exciting ways to help your dollars stay in Ross County where it can help our community.

We kicked off the Keep the Cheer Here Challenge during Downtown Open House weekend on Nov. 17. Our inaugural celebration of this grassroots movement aims to make the holiday season a little brighter for our small businesses and the people who love them.

It hasn’t been an easy year for any of us. With rising costs, fears of inflation, hiring challenges, and so much more, our local businesses need assistance and what better time to support their dreams than at the holidays?

As part of Keep the Cheer Here, we’re encouraging shoppers to support small businesses including retail, dining, entertainment, as well as other goods and services including artisans, authors, makers, non-profit organizations, service providers, and more.

• Shop at a local store, eat or drink at a local restaurant, or other business (yes, donations to non-profits count!) and save your receipts.
• Bring the receipts to the Chamber office at 45 E. Main St. We’ll write down the total spent and note the business/organization.
• For every Chamber member you patronize, you’ll get two entries into a weekly drawing of prizes, gifts, and more. For every non-member, you’ll get one entry into the weekly drawing.
• Each week, we’ll pull a series of winners from our drawing bin and give out prizes.

Shopping Local Is Kind

When it comes to buying local, we want you to remember the benefits of shopping small are KIND.

K nowledge – Local businesses are often staffed by owners or people who have a solid knowledge of their products and services. They will take the time to help you figure out what you want and need as well as answer questions.

I nvestment – Sixty-eight out of every $100 spent locally stays here. (Restaurants return nearly 79%!) When you shop local, you’re making an investment in Chillicothe and Ross County.

N eighbors – We want to live in a town where we know we can count on one another. Small businesses support our pursuits (by sponsoring things like our children’s sports teams, art classes and field trips). We want to support their dreams as well.

D reams – Gen Y and Z are some of the most entrepreneurial generations since the 1930s. Sixty-two percent of Gen Y and 75% of Gen Z want to open a business someday. We want them to think of our area as a great place to follow their dreams.

Celebrate Keep Cheer Here with Us

As a further incentive to shop small this holiday season, we’ve not only organized the Downtown Holiday Open House, but we are developing a series of other ways for you to engage deeper with our businesses and the offerings they provide.

We invite you to set aside a portion of your holiday budget to spend it with our small businesses. From holiday meals to looking your best for the company party, from entertaining out-of-own guests to boarding your pet, from getting your home ready for guests to buying teacher gifts or end-of-year thank you’s, there are so many ways you can support our local business community. Instead of that donation to a far-flung charity, invest those dollars in the non-profit organizations that help keep the area’s needs met.

Join us as we celebrate Keep the Cheer Here, a feel-good celebration of our small businesses and our community’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Mike Throne is president and CEO of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce and the co-host of the Feels Like Home podcast, now in its 4^th season. He can be reached at mthrone@chillicotheohio.com