I know, we've all heard it.. Shop Small this season! Shopping small helps your community. Shop local! 

But what does that really mean? I mean how does shopping small actually affect the community? According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, when you spend $100 at a small business, $48 stays in the community. Spend the same $100 at a big-box store or national retailer and only $14 stays.

So when you shop with a local business, you are truly supporting your local community. In addition, many local businesses support local non-profits. For us here at Close to the Heart, we support Moms Mental Health Initiative in Milwaukee. MMHI's mission is to help moms navigate perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) by sharing information, connecting them to resources and providing peer-driven support. They do this the most in Milwaukee and the surrounding area. This gives us a real way to help mothers along their entire pregnancy and postpartum journey.

Small businesses tend to focus on customer service. Let's be real, we can't compete with some of the big box stores on pricing, but we can compete in customer service. When you shop local, people are invested in helping you! Especially here at Close to the Heart. 

When you shop local, you are shopping with your neighbors, the people in your church or synagogue, and in your kid's school. You are making a difference for the people and community around you by shopping small.