By Kevin Johnson, President & CEO, DEGC

Now that the 2021 holiday season is upon us, it’s more important than ever to place Detroit small businesses at the forefront of every buying decision. DEGC is encouraging support for our commercial corridors as well as online entrepreneurs throughout the city. If there was ever a time for Detroit to “mean business,” that time is now.

Many of our small businesses are still feeling the bottom-line impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting gathering restrictions. Thanks to the efforts of our Small Business Services team, more than $15 million in grants were awarded to Detroit small businesses for help with payroll and expenses. More than 70 percent of these recipients are minority-run businesses, and nearly half are women-owned and owned by City of Detroit residents. However, while grants, forgivable loans and other relief packages help businesses stay afloat short-term, the only true solution to business sustainability is customer revenue.

Shopping local not only drives sales to Detroit business owners, it pushes dollars back into our neighborhoods. Each of us has the ability to make a difference by supporting local shops and restaurants. Our neighborhood businesses offer unique products and services that respect and reflect the rich culture of Detroit’s communities. No matter what you’re looking for Detroit has it – unique gifts, holiday food items, venues to celebrate the season and services to make everything sparkle.

We invite you to join our staff and partners to #ShopSmallDetroit this holiday season, and all year round.

Here’s how you can support small businesses this holiday season:

1. Browse a list of businesses offering holiday specials, including retail, restaurants and service providers citywide, located on the DEGC website.
2. Return to DEGC’s social media pages often for posts featuring Detroit small businesses, and be sure to like and share those posts with your own followers.
3. Participate in a Bingo competition to promote #ShopSmallDetroit and enter for a chance to win a Spirit Card.
4. Remember to use the #ShopSmallDetroit hashtag when you post about the products and services you’ve purchased.
5. Attend a Shop Small event such as Home(base) for the Holidays marketplace on W. 6 Mile, E. Warren Nights on E. Warren, New Center First Fridays, or Grandmont Rosedale’s Annual Shop Small Saturday Fair. A complete list of events can be found here.

If we all shop small and shop safe, we can help ensure a very happy holiday season. Let’s all work together to make this a safe and truly special season for all Detroiters.