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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 2016)
2E COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL NOVEMBER 23, 2016 Remember to use cash T here’s one important step to remember be- fore heading into town and hitting all those lovely, local shops to buy Christmas gift s: Hit up the ATM fi rst. Shopping with cash has myriad benefi ts, but it can really be a huge help for small businesses around the holidays. Stick to your budget It’s so much easier to know what you’re spend- ing when you can literally look at the cash in your wallet or purse. Pull out what you’ve budgeted for gift -buying and get to shopping. By setting your limit and not bringing any extra cash with you, it can help you stay focused while shopping and help you stay on budget. Of course, just be cautious of carrying too much cash around with you. Make sure you have it secure and safe when strolling around. Save businesses process- ing fees Th ose little credit and debit card machines aren’t free for local businesses to use, and most businesses have to pay a fee with ev- ery swipe. Th at means you can actually help support your local businesses, and keep a few extra dollars in the local economy, just by shopping with green backs. It might not seem like much to you, but with potentially hundreds of purchases fl ying through each day during the holi- day season, those fees can really add up for a small business with tight profi t A chance to get quirky margins. Score a better deal It doesn’t just work on car dealers. Most vendors prefer cash, and a bird in the hand is worth two in the bushel, as they say. It’s not a guarantee by any means, but especially when you’re talking about bigger ticket items, shop- ping with cash can also help shave a few dollars off the sticker price. Since it saves vendors money and is easier to deal with, some are willing to have a bit of wiggle room on a price when dealing with cash. I f you’re looking for something quintessential about your hometown or area, hitting a local shop is probably your best bet. Th e nearest big box retailer probably won’t be carrying jewelry from a local art- ist, or T-shirts for the local football team. Shopping lo- cal for the holiday opens up a whole new arena for gift - buying, outside the usual hustle and bustle of cookie- cutter catalog options. Check out the art If you look close enough, many towns have local art shops — or at least an artist or craft guild — that organizes things locally. Track down the near- est one and see what the creative minds in your community have to off er. From mixed media art to paintings, buying from local artists helps support their work, while also of- fering a gift that is one of a kind and truly unique to the area. Some can even do work on commission, if you’re looking for some- thing extra personal. Th e same thing goes for jewelry With the rise of platforms such as Etsy and Pinter- est, there are more small- town artists than ever just trying to make a living and off er up something unique. If you’re shopping for jewelry, check around for local jewelry makers, and you could fi nd the perfect, quirky gift for your loved ones. If you’re looking for something with a local tie, too, this also could be your best bet. Don’t forget the toys Locally made toys are a bit harder to pull off , but many local shops stock toys — and the off erings can be very diff erent from what you’ll fi nd in the toy aisle at a big box retailer. From toy train sets to vin- tage toys that have been around since the 1950s (but may not be in easy circula- tion these days), local shops oft en carry a much more diverse set of toy options. Take a risk and go for something old school this year. © FOTOLIA 2016 Inaugural Cottage Grove Main Street Turkey Drop Designed aft er the histori- cal Turkey Drop featured in the ‘Morelock’ fi lm “Cottage Grove -Snapshot in Time” We will be dropping turkeys from the IOOF building! Christmas in Cottage Grove December 3rd at 3pm 317 E. Main Street, Cot- tage Grove For each $10 spent at any participating business between now and Decem- ber 3rd you will receive an entry token. Fill out the back of the token and give it back to the busi- ness owner. Entry tokens will be picked up from the businesses on Fri- day (12/2) by 5pm. Each participating business will have a Turkey poster in the window. So keep your eye out for the Turkeys. During Christmas in Cot- tage Grove on December 2, 2016 at 2:15 PM, in front of City Hall, we will draw 50 eligible partici- pants to enter the Turkey Drop arena. You must be present to play. At 3pm we will start to toss the Turkeys from the IOOF building. Each Turkey will have a number. Th e number is associated with a prize. All 50 entries will be winners! (No live Turkeys will be harmed during this event) Please contact Shauna Neigh @ 541-767-4119 with any questions or concerns.
