King County is encouraging shopping locally to help small businesses during the holiday season and beyond. | Stock Photo
King County is encouraging shopping locally to help small businesses during the holiday season and beyond. | Stock Photo
Residents of King County are being encouraged to shop local by King County Executive Dow Constantine, who launched the "Keep it local King County" social media campaign.
The county executive announced the new campaign called Keep it local King County, which started in November.
The campaign promotes local businesses' offerings in neighborhood restaurants, artistic attractions, health and wellness centers and more.
"While I am heartened that so many have done so much to help us respond to this unprecedented crisis, I also appreciate the burden on and anxiety felt by many restaurants, retailers, arts organizations and their employees," Constantine said in a Nov. 23 release.
Shortly before the campaign's announcement, 630 King County small businesses, including restaurants, retailers, contractors and farms, were awarded a total of $4 million in grants to assist with COVID-related impacts.
"The grant definitely helped me," Yulonda Rhodes of Texture Salon Studio in White Center said in the release. "Prior to COVID, I was in process of doing some remodeling. Then COVID happened, I got laid off from my part-time job, and this business slowed down. The grant allowed [me] to get everything I needed to get done. It definitely helped."
The campaign will promote a different option each day to entice shopping locally. For instance, on Mondays, the campaign will highlight purchasing memberships in organizations such as arts and culture. A full list of the daily themes is available online.
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