GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) -As you begin your holiday shopping this season, our local businesses ask you to think twice before heading to the big box retail stores.
If you have a friend or family member looking for a customizable 3D-printed wand that shoots rubber bands, look no further than Gear XYZ, a small business.
Board Fox Games has all your gaming needs including card games, collectibles, toys and puzzles.
Robin’s Nest, another small business, is right across the street. It’s stocked from top to bottom with antiques, taxidermy and one-of-a-kind trinkets.
All three of these small businesses, among many more, are located in Downtown Grand Junction, but when big box stores are your competition during the holidays, it can be hard to stay afloat.
“They can pull way more people in so it’s so much harder to get noticed when you’re a little guy,” said Andrew Blehm, owner of GearXYZ.
Local business owners said shopping small boosts the local economy.
“It just keeps churning the money here locally, instead of transporting it to another state,” said Shane Allerheiligen, co-owner of Robin’s Nest.
“When you shop at a big box store, the money you spend gets deposited overnight at a local bank and immediately gets transferred out. It doesn’t stay within our community,” said Trudi Wagner, owner of Board Fox Games.
You’re also often fueling the entrepreneurial spirit, according to Blehm.
“Every single sale matters to me. I just love it so much when somebody comes up and buys one of my wands or something that I designed myself,” he said.
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