With the cruise ship season behind us and daylight growing short, many small businesses turn their focus to local customers – the residents who help keep the city’s economy moving long after seasonal visitors have gone home.
For Juneau, shopping locally isn’t just a matter of convenience. It’s a way to strengthen the local economy, sustain jobs and invest in the city’s long-term resilience.
The connection between residents and small businesses carries a measurable impact.
According to a joint report by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development and the American Independent Business Alliance, about 63 cents of every dollar spent at an Alaska-owned business stays in the state, compared to just 22 cents when spent at non-local businesses.
If every household in Alaska shifted just $1,000 of spending from non-local to local businesses, it could support an estimated 5,850 additional jobs statewide.
The U.S. Small Business Administration adds that Alaska’s 71,781 small businesses employ more than 138,000 people, representing more than half of all private-sector workers in the state. Keeping money circulating locally helps protect those jobs and generates tax revenue that supports essential services.
Holiday spending at home fuels year-round stability
For Juneau’s locally owned shops and restaurants, the holiday season is a critical bridge between the busy summer months and the slower pace of winter.
The revenue earned during November and December helps keep doors open, employees paid and lights on through the darker, quieter stretch of the year.
This is also the time when shopping small can have the biggest ripple effect.
A single purchase at a local store doesn’t just help the owner – it supports the employees, the suppliers and the network of other small businesses that keep Juneau running.
Local entrepreneurs, tradespeople and artists all rely on that same cycle of community support.
As the holiday season unfolds, readers can watch for future installments of this Shop Local series, highlighting more ways to support small businesses across Alaska and celebrate the community spirit that keeps the state’s heart strong through every season.
