The holidays are here, and while most are prepping for the biggest family dinner of the year — Thanksgiving — many have their sights set on the biggest shopping day of the year — Black Friday. While millions of shoppers nationwide are gearing up for the long hours of waiting and shopping at some of the biggest retailers in the industry, many local businesses and entities have forged partnerships that will not only give small businesses a fighting chance this holiday season, but more importantly, give local shoppers incentives to keep their money in the local market.

On the day after Black Friday, a group of local businesses will host Buy Local Day. Started through a partnership between First South Bank of Washington, the Washington-Beaufort Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Harbor District Alliance, the all-day event will give locals and visitors alike incentives to spend their money in one of the most quaint and popular small towns in eastern North Carolina.

According to Nikki Klapp, marketing coordinator at First South Bank, the initiative started as a spin-off of American Express’ Small Business Saturday. That offer gives cardholders a $10-credit for up to three single, in-store transactions of $10 or more, according to American Express. One business promoting the American Express offer is Stewart’s Jewelry Store, which has been in business for over a century. Store employee Marvin Alligood said both the merchant and cardholder must call American Express at the point of sale to take advantage of the offer.

Klapp said the Saturday after Thanksgiving has been identified the last few years as a day to shop local so the local initiative was a good fit.

“We just kind of looked at it nationally,” Klapp said. “There’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the last two or three years, there’s been a big push to shop local on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Since that day is already identified as a day to shop local, we made an intentional push to promote shopping local (in this area). One of our initiatives at the bank is to get more involved in the community. We wanted to show that we want to support our community as a whole and what better way to do that than to support the local businesses in Beaufort County?”

Klapp said she and her fellow coworkers Cara Singleton and Randy Woodson, along with help from the Chamber and WHDA, have encouraged businesses to sign up to participate in the event. However, businesses that wish to participate do not have to be affiliated with any of the organizations heading the initiative, Klapp said. Currently, 60 or more local businesses have signed up and each store will offer special promotions, drawings, refreshments and/or discounts to get people in the door to make purchases on Nov. 29. Each participating business will display a “Buy Local” sticker, letting shoppers know those businesses are offering promotions, Klapp said.

“This is just a way to get the names of these businesses out there,” Klapp said. “All we ask them to do to participate is offer the promotions. They don’t have to be customers of the bank or associated with the WHDA or the Chamber. We just want to be helpful any way we can to local businesses. Depending on its success, we want to expand this to the other markets we are in. We would love to expand it into New Bern and Greenville next year. The response has been wonderful and we are very humbled by the participation of the businesses.”

Another local partnership — Washington WestEnd Festive Fridays — this holiday season will promote local commerce, as well. To promote local shopping, businesses at the West End of Main Street, from Respess to Gladden streets, will present three Fridays of fun and festive activities on Dec. 5, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, according to Wine and Words owners James McKelvey and Yvonne Sedgwick.

Sedgwick said they noticed a lot of new businesses on their end of Main Street and wanted to come up with something to get local and visiting shoppers in their doors. Each participating business will host activities specific to their business on at least one of the Fridays until 8 p.m. Those participating include Bank Bistro and Bar, Salon 208, the Missing Ink, GW Walker and Sons, Washington Book Store and Coffee Co., Rivergirl Antiques, Blue Crab of Washington, Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers Realty, Ruth’s House Antiques, Schmitt’s Jewelers and Wine & Words…& Gourmet.

Blue Crab owner Meredith Dixon, who is also participating in Buy Local Day, will host a workshop for Christmas ornament making and free monogramming on the first two Fridays of December. Washington Book Store and Coffee Co. owner Ronald Lundy said his business will offer showings of two different holiday movies, as well as a photo opportunity with Santa Claus.

“I think it’s really important to keep the business local and keep the money circulating in Beaufort County. I think it’s great for everyone involved,” Dixon said. “There’s a lot of good deals for the public too, so we’re going to try and make it worth their while.”

“I think every merchant who has wanted to be involved and the ones I’ve approached, almost all of them have expressed enthusiasm and their involvement says a lot for the businesses down in this area,” Sedgwick said. “Everyone is excited. I think it will encourage more people to come to Washington because it’s a lovely town, and we’ve always told people, ‘Come to Washington and shop, park, walk around. We’ve got the river and great restaurants downtown.’

“All the merchants down here are super, and we get such great feedback from visitors from New Bern, and actually, all over the country that are passing through here. The biggest compliment we get is how everyone is so nice and friendly and helpful, and we are. We all work very hard at our businesses, and I applaud the businesses that are doing this. By us reaching out to everyone, it helps others reach out to others and not worry that business is going to be taken away. It’s much more of a community.”