Editorial: New programs, parking breaks make it worthwhile to shop local
Salem, MA – If you’re not done holiday shopping by the time you pick up this week’s Salem Gazette, you probably wish you were.
Now is the time of the dreaded traffic backup all over Route 128 to access the malls, where the crush of people and tedious lines rob some of the joy from the holidays.
All the more reason to shop locally. We all benefit from a healthy local business community — especially one that’s sustained year-round, not just by the events of October — so you’re doing your part when you buy from local shops.
And while the mall decorations might seem festive, they don’t hold a candle to the unique window displays at Salem stores or the city’s Christmas tree on the pedestrian mall.
Local stores also offer unique items, the kind your loved ones won’t receive at just any old party, gift swap or grab. And many of the shops have online-purchase web sites these days. (Check the Salem Chamber of Commerce’s web site, salem-chamber.org, for a directory of businesses.)
Plus, the city offers additional incentives to shoppers. Salem offers free holiday parking in both downtown garages every weekend during the season, as well as on Christmas eve and day and New Year’s eve and day. (Free parking was also offered on Black Friday.)
As Mayor Kim Driscoll said in a statement, “Salem’s downtown, with its eclectic shops, quality retail and top-notch restaurants, has so much to offer shoppers and visitors. After shopping in our many unique storefronts, shoppers can enjoy dinner in one of our fine food establishments. Once we’re able to attract people to the downtown, we know that they can’t help but come back.”
