Shop safe and shop local this holiday season

Like it or not, the 2020 holiday shopping season is upon us, and like everything else during the past eight months, it promises to be fraught with uncertainty. But one thing that is certain is that supporting Niwot's shops and restaurants-whether online or safely in-person-is especially important this year, according to economic development director Catherine McHale.

"I am happy that most of our businesses are surviving for now, and we've had very few casualties or actual closures, but obviously, it's still very difficult," she said of the current economic climate in Niwot. "That's why we've been trying to find different ways of bringing people to town through outdoor events, and just really trying to encourage the whole community to think about supporting these businesses because winter is going to be tougher."

As of press time, Boulder County is under Public Health Order 2020-10, which limits public gatherings to 25 people and personal gatherings to 10 people from two households. If COVID-19 cases continue to climb, state or county officials could impose a new Stay At Home order, a prospect local business owners are eyeing warily, Niwot Business Association president Eric Bergeson said, "I think people are optimistic, but there's definitely a nervousness out there that the other shoe is going to drop, and we might go into another lockdown. People are anxious to see the data come out this week and get a view of how things are going to be during the holidays."

That includes the NBA, which is tentatively moving ahead with plans to mark the 2020 holidays in a safer way. The traditional Enchanted Evening and Holiday Parade festivities have been transformed into Niwot Holiday Magic, a socially distant celebration spanning three weekends, starting on Nov. 27-28, in conjunction with Small Business Saturday.

"We all want to be optimistic and hope for the best," Bergeson said, "but also be prepared for things to get worse. We're trying to look at it soberly and plan things appropriately. We want people to just walk around and visit places, and not gather. Unless we go into shutdown, we're planning to move forward with that."

Bergeson added that prevailing state and county health guidelines, including crowd limits, masks, and social distancing, will be strictly enforced at all times.

"We want to make sure people feel comfortable. We're going to be following the code to a T. I really want to emphasize that because I know it's important to people."

It's hard to project the potential impact of another state or county imposed lock down, but it could be drastic. Many local businesses experienced sharp revenue declines during the spring stay at home orders, and were already preparing for a flat holiday season. Without another federal economic relief program on the horizon, a second prolonged closure could mean disaster for independent shops and restaurants.

"The Targets of the world are probably going to make it through okay," McHale said. "And it's not so certain for the small businesses as maybe it is for the big-box guys."

The economic impact of small businesses is hard to overstate, whether in Niwot or on the U.S. economy as a whole. In 2019, firms with fewer than 500 employees provided nearly half of private-sector jobs (47.1%) in the country, and 40.5% of payroll. In Niwot, as in most small towns, small businesses provide nearly 100% of local jobs, as well as local tax revenues. But small businesses provide more than economic benefits, McHale said, and you don't have to look hard to see them.

"Especially here in Niwot, our businesses are very community and very volunteer focused. It's our small businesses who are doing things like helping with local projects, like flowers on the streets, and coordinating events the community enjoys coming to. They sponsor the local sports teams, and they care about the things that are happening in the schools. It's a great little ecosystem we have here. The community relies on small businesses, and they rely on the community."

That community spirit proved vital during the spring and summer, McHale said, as local business owners "pulled together" to sponsor pandemic-friendly events such as the car show at Niwot Market and movie nights at Lefty's Pizza and Niwot Real Estate. Both Bergeson and McHale believe it will also be vital in the case of a second lockdown during the holidays.

"We're going to rally like we did in March, and try to promote the restaurants and smaller retail outlets that we're concerned about," Bergeson said. "We've talked about maybe trying to deliver items to people, but we're waiting to see how things play out. It's really tough to make plans right now."

That means McHale, Bergeson and the NBA are keeping their holiday strategies flexible, but they remain committed to promoting Niwot as a safe, affordable, and convenient destination for shopping, even if it's from behind a screen.

"Many of our stores adapted earlier in the year to home-based fulfillment, and have updated their websites or are happy to take orders over the phone," McHale said. You can also gift someone a future trip to Niwot at the gift-card kiosk dedicated to local merchants located in Niwot Market, she added.

"I am telling people to do all of your holiday shopping in Niwot, because you actually can. You can get books and apparel and gifts and everything, and you don't have to go out and be in a large crowd.

"If everyone did that in every small town, I feel like that's the best way that we can help our local communities survive."