Previously Published in The Messenger
By Alexis Weik
As the holidays quickly approach, I always feel that sense of urgency to grab a few friends or family members and wander aimlessly through our festive and carefully decorated Main Street. A tradition that started when my mom would gather me and my sister and we would shop for stocking stuffers, tree ornaments, and hostess gifts to have on hand during the holiday season. We would enjoy our stroll through town, with the delights of holiday treats, enjoy the beautifully crafted window displays, the holiday streetlights and the music that filled the sidewalks.
As my children grew up, I would take them on the same journey year after year. Now that my children are grown, I still try to take time with them and keep that tradition alive. With busy schedules and online shopping, it is all too easy to skip that tradition entirely. I know we are not the only family who have looked forward to such holiday traditions.
Small businesses have felt it over the years and some of our beautiful main streets have changed dramatically as a result. Shops can no longer afford to staff the longer store hours to accommodate after-work shopping.
The crowds don’t fill the little shops; they don’t gather on the sidewalk to compare their treasures. They may still stop and grab dinner at the fabulous restaurants, but the joy of spending time with loved ones shopping through town has mostly disappeared.
So why am I writing this? I would like to encourage everyone, before you start your online shopping, please remember that our mom-and-pop shops that still exist on our adorable main streets are working harder than ever before to remain in business.
Please give them your time, your attention, and your purchase requests f irst before you click “ship” on that online website. Wander through our beautiful main streets, enjoy the lights and the festive window displays, and give our shops a reason to stay open later for the holiday season. We all love to live near those adorable Main Street communities but if we don’t shop them, they will no longer be what we want them to be.
This holiday season, gather your family and friends, wander through town, shop the shops and recapture those moments that you will treasure forever.
Support our small businesses by giving them your business.
Senator Alexis Weik (R-Sayville) has represented the Eighth District in the New York State Senate since 2023, after being redistricted from the Third District, which she represented from 2021 to 2022. She is the Ranking Member of the Committees on Civil Service and Pensions; and Women’s Issues; and serves on the Committees on Education; Local Government; Social Service; and Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs.