FREMONT, Ohio — For many, it is officially the holiday shopping season and a Sandusky County initiative is aiming to help you get great gifts while also supporting the local economy.
In its fourth year, the Shop Near Home for the Holidays initiative is in full swing in Sandusky County.
Fifteen members of the Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce are participating in this year's event, offering special discounts from locally-owned businesses.
The idea is to bring more local customers into these stores over the larger national brands.
"A lot of things you can't get online. Some businesses are offering up to 50% off this year, so there's some really great deals," Tyler Kneeskern, president and CEO of the Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce, said.
Many of the businesses are also located in downtown Fremont, like returning participant Joni's Boutique.
These downtown businesses hope holiday shoppers can make it a full day trip of shopping.
"We have so much to offer right here in downtown Fremont, not only us, but we have several local restaurants," said Heather Bigelow with Joni's Boutique.
"It's just a great way for us to try to incentivize people to shop local and support their local businesses while shopping for the holidays," Kneeskern said.
This initiative began in 2020 to help small shops after a difficult year in retail. But organizers said the turnout was so good that they decided to make it an annual event to bring more support to these locally-owned businesses.
"These small businesses make up our community, so it's very important that they succeed," Kneeskern said. "They're super generous with the discounts they've been offering this year, and it'd be a great way for people to go out and support them."
All of the local deals and sales for Shop Near Home for the Holidays will be ongoing through Dec. 31.