After a 2020 holiday season that spurred online sales due to the pandemic, it’s time to turn back to shopping local for Small Business Saturday.

This annual day devoted to the idea of supporting smaller, more specialized shops and stores in the community rather than the more massive national retailers is as essential as ever, perhaps even more so.

Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 by American Express as a way for specialty shops to better compete with big-box and online retailers. “Shopping small” encourages spending at businesses close to home to help boost local economies.

These local businesses rely on securing a share of the holiday spending. For Small Business Saturday, they often provide special deals or discounts, a prime opportunity to get some holiday shopping done early without having to spend time online or on the road.

It also encourages the public to become more familiar with what their area shops have to offer.

Yet one lone Saturday to highlight small businesses is not enough. If these local businesses are to thrive, residents must be regular customers or they’ll see their options disappear.

So take the opportunity to explore some of the small businesses of Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Norway or Crystal Falls, rather than taking dollars out of town and burning gasoline with trips to Wisconsin cities.

We all should support these businesses in our region that make services and products immediately available, without having to wait days for delivery.

It’s not just for convenience — strong local businesses make for a more vital community and keeps dollars circulating in the local economy. So let’s hope Small Business Saturday keys more people to become more aware of what’s available and worth purchasing in their own area.