The City of Edmonton kicked off Small Business Week by launching a new Shop Local campaign to urge people to put their money where their hearts are. With Shop Local, the City of Edmonton said it highlights the importance and economic potential of the city’s small business community. “Edmonton has always been synonymous with the entrepreneurial spirit, and Small Business Week is an opportunity for us to celebrate the significant impacts our business community has on our city,” said Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi in a press release. “Taking the time to support a local business has ripple effects in the rest of our community.” Sohi encouraged all Edmontonians to put their money where their hearts are and shop local. At the moment, the City of Edmonton said the city is home to 38,000 businesses, with 95% being small businesses. It added it thrives on shopping locally, as for every $100 spent at a small business, $66 stays in the local economy. The Shop Local campaign is part of a matching grant from the Alberta government to leverage $200,000 over two years towards small business support. The logo, which features the Walterdale Bridge as the handle of a shopping bag, reminds shoppers to keep their money close to home and will be used to support local businesses, events, and promotions. Makers Keep co-owner Katie Deck said community “is at the heart of the Makers Keep and is the essence of what we do.” “Our stores are a collective of over 400 small businesses from across the Edmonton area, creating a one-stop shop for all things local,” said Deck. “We encourage our neighbours to continue to show support for all of our amazing local businesses this holiday season.” The City of Edmonton said spending money at local businesses is one way to support its entrepreneurs. It pointed out other ways to show support include sharing content and engaging on social media, using the hashtag #ShopLocalYEG, leaving positive reviews, and recommending stores to family and friends.There are multiple City of Edmonton programs and initiatives to support its small business community. These include the Business Friendly Edmonton one-on-one support program, free business workshops, and online access to permit licensing. The City of Edmonton said on September 18 opening businesses is hard, but getting business licences should be easy. .City of Edmonton launches new streamlined process to help businesses open sooner.With the City of Edmonton’s new streamlined business licence process, it said getting one has become easier and faster. “When you’re opening a business, time is money, so we’re pleased to introduce more streamlined processes and help owners open their doors faster,” said City of Edmonton Branch Manager, Development Services Travis Pawlyk.
