Local shopping guide helps Arkansas agriculture
With the 2020 holiday shopping season in full swing, consumers have many choices about where to spend their dollars. Small businesses are hoping consumers will buy locally.
The Create Bridges team at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and its community partners have developed a Shop Local Holiday Business Guide to help small businesses engage consumers throughout the holiday season. The six-page guide also includes resources for retail store managers and restaurant owners.
“This year’s shopping season looks much different compared to years prior,” Julianne Dunn, economic development instructor with the Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service, said. “With the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners have to find new strategies that engage customers and showcase the unique features that can only be found in our local, rural communities. Both businesses and shoppers alike can use the holiday guide to help find ways to support strong, local thriving communities.”
Small businesses make up the bulk of the state’s business landscape. In 2019, Arkansas had 249,907 small businesses, which accounted for 99 percent of all Arkansas businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Together, small businesses employ nearly 48 percent of the state’s private workforce.
Create Bridges a multistate pilot program to help communities strengthen the retail, tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors. It is a grant-funded project implemented by Walmart and housed by the Cooperative Extension Service.
The guide is available online at www.uaex.edu/createbridgesresources. Both English and Spanish versions are available. Paper copies are available at partnering agencies, including Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, the De Queen/Sevier County Chamber of Commerce, Recursos Para Latinos in Southwest Arkansas, Nashville Arkansas, Little River Economic Development and Sevier County Economic Development and Tourism.
