LA County Launches Shop Local LA County Holiday Campaign on Small Business to Support Small Businesses and Encourage Residents to Reinvest in their Local Communities

AMTV/Los Angeles, CA, Nov 15 – The Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) launched the Shop Local LA County Holiday Campaign today in recognition of Small Business Saturday, encouraging County residents to sign the #ShopLocalLA Pledge and participate in the newly announced holiday sweepstakes, “Shop Local Sweeps”, for an opportunity to win gift cards to their favorite small businesses in their own neighborhoods.

As part of DEO’s Shop Local campaign, “Shop Local Sweeps” will empower and incentivize residents to shop local this holiday season. Any resident who takes the #ShopLocalLA Pledge will automatically be entered to win a $500 gift card to spend at a local business of their choice. Drawings will be held every week starting on December 8th through the new year to continuously remind everyone the impact that spending locally has on their own community’s vitality.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy’s stability and mobility,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District. “To that end, I encourage all Angelenos to shop local this Small Business Saturday – especially with the recent closure of the I-10. Over 600 businesses are located within a 1-mile radius of where the fire happened, and most have expressed that the impacts from the freeway closure and emergency traffic detours that followed have resulted in reduced profits and customer traffic. By committing to shopping locally, residents are reinvesting money back into their communities and contributing to economic recovery. Every little bit helps. To help make an impact, do your part today in supporting small businesses and local entrepreneurs.”

“Small businesses are the economic engine of our county and Small Business Saturday is a prime opportunity to show them our support,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “I strongly encourage everyone to consider making purchases from your local mom-and-pop stores this holiday season. They’ve gone through a lot and are still struggling to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Even making one purchase can go a long way.”

To help spread the word and celebrate LA County’s 1.3 million diverse small businesses, who include more women and BIPOC-owned businesses than any other county in the nation, Team DEO visited local businesses who received an Economic Opportunity Grant throughout the County from DEO earlier today for Small Business Saturday.

“At DEO, we know small businesses are not only important in building vibrant culture and community, but to the survival of our local economy,” said Kelly LoBianco, Director of LA County’s Department of Economic Opportunity. “We understand that countless small businesses, who employed essential workers and served us daily while many sheltered in place during the pandemic, lost the ability to earn sufficient revenue, keep their doors open and staff on payroll, and continue to struggle today. For this reason, DEO is launching the Shop Local LA County Holiday Campaign to highlight and promote small, diverse, immigrant-owned businesses in the county’s high to highest-need small business corridors for one-stop shopping while we celebrate our friends and families with gifts through the new year. Please join us and support your local community.”

In addition to promoting local holiday shopping, the DEO’s Office of Small Business is also expanding its no cost 1:1 and group services and support to help individuals start their businesses, get certified for local, state, and federal contracts and access capital, and connect to a community of fellow entrepreneurs. Small businesses that participate in the Shop Local LA County Holiday Campaign not only receive these services for free, but also will be invited to a Shop Local LA County information session focused on digital marketing and revenue generation for their business, including customized assistance in kicking off or expanding their digital presence.