By Natalie M. Zeigler
City Manager
November is here, and the holiday shopping season has arrived. Along with it, I’m glad to say, the push to promote and support Hartsville’s local businesses has returned as well.
For years, communities in this state and nation, faced with local entrepreneurs losing out to chain businesses, have responded with the rallying cry of “Shop Local.” The logic is simple: supporting local businesses boosts your own economy rather than that of another community and supports job growth where you live.
Hartsville, thankfully, has been ahead of the curve on this issue for quite some time. It isn’t just about building up the hometown economy though, it’s also about supporting the local businesses which stand as some of the biggest factors making our city unique and making the case for why people ought to visit, live or do business here. Think about the shops and restaurants you make a point of patronizing when someone visits you here, or when your children come home for the holidays.
The heart of most any local business scene is its downtown district, and anyone watching ours knows we have been moving in an extremely positive direction lately. It’s now home to many brand-new businesses: Da Massimo Ristorante Italiano, the new frozen yogurt shop Berri Lane and the Image by Jessi photography studio. More are on the way, including the boutique hotel named the Mantissa Executive Suites and Spa. The trajectory of our downtown is enough to be the envy of larger cities also working to build up theirs, and it’s really justifying the faith of all those who have been investing themselves into our growth.
November in Hartsville comes as a time to showcase our local businesses through the Downtown Holiday Open House. It’s taking place this year on Thursday, Nov. 20, a week before Thanksgiving, from 6 to 9 p.m., and is organized by the downtown development organization Main Street Hartsville for the second year.
The evening centers on extended shopping hours and special deals from merchants, but it’s also a time for downtown to put on its very best festive appearance. Photos with Santa will be available in City Hall and horse-drawn wagon rides will be leaving from Centennial Park at Fifth Street and Carolina Avenue. Main Street Hartsville will also kick off its Nutcracker Scavenger Hunt, in which participants can search for a nutcracker wandering among downtown stores throughout the Christmas shopping season for a chance to win prizes. Also rolling out just in time for the holidays: Main Street’s gift certificates, available at www.mainstreethartsville.org, at the Main Street office on the second floor of City Hall and by calling 843.383.3015.
It’s been said that every dollar you spend is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in. When we shop local, therefore, we’re voting for a strong and prosperous Hartsville. The Downtown Holiday Open House can give you a great chance to do that, but so can the entire Christmas season and the rest of the year can as well.
Natalie Zeigler is the City Manager of Hartsville. For more information, call City Hall at 843-383-3015 or email info2@hartsvillesc.gov.