Shop local and support your hometown businesses

The good news is that plenty of American retailers have finally gotten the hint when it comes to Thanksgiving Day shopping.Plenty of those big box stores have decided that the bad publicity of making their employees work on the holiday is just not worth it, although plenty of them — including Wal-Mart, Sears, Target and Best Buy, just to name several — have figured that by late Thursday afternoon and into the evening, we’re sick of family so we need to go shopping.Black Friday isn’t really Black Friday anymore; it’s become Black Thanksgiving Night, and honestly, we still find that troubling and would like to make a suggestion.Enjoy your family all day and all evening Thursday and give your local retailers a chance on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.New Hampton has plenty of options for those looking for gift ideas for that special someone.Do you want great service? Shop local.Do you want to avoid the stampede at the big malls or the big stores in the Twin Cities, Iowa City, Des Moines or Waterloo? Shop local.Do you want purchases to really help the community you call home? Shop local.Who supports the Chickasaw Booster Club, events like Heartland Days and the Chickasaw Music Boosters? Hear’s four hints — not Wal-Mart, not Target, not Best Buy, not Sears.It’s the businesses right here in New Hampton. The downtown businesses, the “corporate” stores on the west end of the city and our industries are the ones that employ our people and support our teams, our activities and our events.So stay home Thursday. Watch football. Play games. Take walks. Give “Uncle Joe” a little grief.And stay home on Friday and Saturday, too. Your hometown needs you.