NORTHERN MICHIGAN — As the holidays get closer, online shopping becomes more of a gamble with the risk that packages might not arrive on time. Northern Michigan businesses and chambers of commerce are encouraging people to shop locally and in-person, not just to have the security of getting the gift right away, but to find unique items found only in this region.

The Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce launched a new benefits program at the end of November to encourage residents and visitors to do their holiday shopping with small, local businesses.

MAC CA$H is a community gift certificate program where shoppers purchase certificates through the chamber to redeem at any participating chamber business.

“Around last Christmas, I was receiving a lot of calls from people, being a tourist destination, for people that wanted to purchase holiday gifts for family and friends that they could use anywhere while they were vacationing,” Executive Director Amy Millard said. “And so this community gift certificate program idea was brought (in response to) those requests, also a way for people to support and shop local.”

MAC CA$H will be year-round but the chamber wanted to introduce it before the holidays so shoppers could use it to buy gifts or give the certificates themselves.

Millard said winter is Mackinaw City’s slowest season but that plenty of local businesses are still open during the cold season.

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“Supporting local supports all of our businesses, who then in turn support all the programs and services that happen in our communities. Shopping local is really full circle,” Millard said. “We're a small town and we are very fortunate that our year-round residents are wonderful supporters of our small businesses here.”

Over in Charlevoix, Chamber of Commerce President Sarah Van Horn said lots of local businesses participated in Small Business Saturday — the Saturday after Thanksgiving when shoppers are encouraged to visit locally owned stores.

Small Business Saturday is an initiative created in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which primarily support large companies, to encourage shoppers to visit brick-and-mortar stores owned by members of their own communities.

The name is trademarked by American Express which Van Horn said sends out promotional materials for Chambers to give to local businesses, such as window decals, banners and posters advertising Small Business Saturday.

According to Van Horn, Charlevoix businesses were able to have two good days in a row because the City of Charlevoix held its tree lighting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 25, so attendees also stopped by stores to do some shopping and many came back the next day.

While Charlevoix businesses had a good Thanksgiving week, Van Horn said the rush they saw during the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have died down.

“I think during the pandemic, we saw it get a little bit busier because people were hesitant to go to the big stores (for) the traditional Black Friday-type shopping and people also had the extra stimulus money too,” Van Horn said. “So we did see, I think, probably a little bit more shopping the last two years. This year seems to be kind of on track with 2019.”

This year, the five-day shopping period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday had a record number of shoppers with 196.7 million people shopping in-store and online, according to the National Retail Federation.

Compared to 2021, the number of shoppers increased by 17 million. Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay said in the report that as inflation continues to drive prices up, consumers are looking to save money where they can by taking advantage of sales and deals.

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In Sault Ste. Marie, owner of Madam Michelle's Metaphysical Emporium at 224 Ashmun St., Michelle Sibbald said she had a sale on Black Friday and a drawing for gift certificates for anyone who signed up for the store loyalty program on Small Business Saturday.

Sibbald sells handmade candles, bath bombs, shower steamers and bath kits that she said are popular with customers. She also makes charm jars for households that have been selling well as gifts.

“A lot of the stores (in Sault Ste Marie) have really unique things, handmade items. I have about five local artists (I work with) and I'm always looking for more. So besides the stuff that I make, there's other items in here that are locally handmade that you're not going to find anywhere else really,” Sibbald said.

“A lot of the stores offer things that are locally made or handmade and are going to be items that aren't just the typical thing that everyone gets (like) the coffee mug or the gift certificate to some big store or something like that.”

Madam Michelle's Metaphysical Emporium is in its second year of business and Sibbald said Black Friday was a bit slower this year but Small Business Saturday seemed to be busier. Sibbald also sells on her website and through Etsy, but the majority of her sales are through her brick-and-mortar store.

While most popular tourist destinations have their peak season in the summer and then see traffic slow down in the colder months, Sibbald said her busiest months so far this year were August and September. As the holidays get closer, she said December might be her busiest month out of the year.

Many northern Michigan shoppers seem to be realizing the benefits of shopping locally for the holidays and are making more of an effort to do so.

“I was just having a conversation with a resident and she was saying that she stopped down at a store here and found a gift and she bought it here and she went home and realized she could have gotten it at Target for a little bit lower price,” Van Horn said.

“But then she realized too it was making a difference with someone that's living here, working here at the shop. She got it the day she wanted it versus having to wait for it to ship and she could put it in her hands and feel it. So we were just talking about how there's value in that — being able to get something when you want it and go talk to the person who's selling it, feel it in your hands, rather than ordering online.”

— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @Tess_Petoskey.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Local chambers, businesses encourage consumers to shop small for the holidays