Thanksgiving is upon us and that means many of us are looking forward to that “Turkey Day” feast filled with food, football and family. Many of us will also be looking forward to the day after Thanksgiving shopping sales.

While a few stores will open their doors Thanksgiving Day, most stores in Vicksburg will be open Friday with deals through the weekend.

You may be able to find some great deals online, but shopping local does much more for our economy in the long run.

Local businesses employ local people — your family, friends and neighbors — and buying locally means you are helping those people you care about so much put food on their table.

Experts will tell you that it is well known small businesses are the heartbeat of a community.

When a consumer buys local, significantly more of that money stays in the community. In fact, one Chicago study found that for every $100 spent at a local business, $68 remained in the city.

Local business owners often have incentive to support other local businesses, patronizing local establishments for both business and personal reasons.

Small Business Saturday is Nov. 24 and it is an opportunity to support the small businesses, shops and restaurants in downtown Vicksburg. These are the shops that employ neighbors and reinvest money close to home.

A week from today, downtown Vicksburg will come to life with the annual Old Fashioned Open House. Sponsored by Vicksburg Main Street, this event from 1:30-5 p.m. allows shoppers to experience the first sights, sounds and scents of the holiday season. And those who purchase $25 or more in merchandise will be given a free poinsettia.

Shop local this holiday season and support those businesses that support all of us with jobs and tax dollars in our local economy.

When you invest money in Warren County’s economy, you’re not just helping local business owners — you’re also helping yourself. You’re making Vicksburg a better place to live in, with a rich character, a thriving economy, and a tightly knit community. And the more local businesses prosper, the more new ones will open — making it even easier to continue shopping locally in the future.