STILL CHECKING OFF ITEMS ON YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING LIST? SHOPPING LOCAL IS YOUR BEST BET!

If you have yet to check everything off your Christmas shopping list, your best bet is to shop local if you want to ensure that those goodies are wrapped and ready by Christmas Day.

Kenneth Studdard, owner of Dogwood Books in downtown Rome, states that local business owners offer a hands-on approach to helping holiday shoppers find whatever they seek.

Studdard has a great gift idea for listeners – books, of course! He indicates that there’s a book for anybody. Shoppers also frequently opt to purchase gift cards.

Many believe that Black Friday and Christmas Eve are the busiest shopping days of the year, but stores are busiest during the weekend before Christmas, according to Studdard, who adds that Christmas sales account for a sixth of all retail sales in the US.

Businesses in downtown Rome will stay open late until 8 pm tonight in order to accommodate last-minute holiday shoppers as part of the Rome Downtown Development Authority’s Rome for the Holidays. As a Wednesday post to the Downtown, Rome GA page on Facebook observed, “Last minute gifts? The internet can’t help you now! But our small businesses sure can!”