Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/221385
'Tis the Season…To Shop Locally! Calendar of Events It is that time of year again when the Christmas cards are sent out and the list for friends and family to buy for is penned. Some are easier to buy for than others, but one thing is for certain, if you cannot find it downtown, you might just not need it! Downtown is known for its streetscape, festivals, restaurants and museums, but also for its local shops, which boast one of a kind items and fabulous gifts mixed with impeccable service. Most of the owners when they get to know you find that item they know you will love to put on the shelf, pour your drink when you enter the door or pull aside that piece of jewelry they know you will love. It is the type of mom and pop service that you cannot find anywhere else in town and you will also not find a prettier location to shop especially during the holidays with lit wreaths, wrapped twinkling lights on poles and a huge decorated tree at the Market House. Through Dec. 15 – A Christmas Carol, The Gilbert Theater, www.gilberttheater.com Dec. 6-7 – 3rd Annual Yuletide Feaste at Hay Street United Methodist Church, Methodist University, www.methodist.edu Dec. 7 – "Christmas Remembered" Cape Fear Botanical Garden, www.capefearbg.org Dec. 7-22 – Holiday Lights in the Garden ~ Twelve Nights of Glowing! Cape Fear Botanical Garden, www.capefearbg.org Dec. 8 – Holiday Jubilee, Museum of the Cape Fear, www.ncdcr.gov/ncmcf But there are more important reasons to shop downtown. You get the best selection, the fantastic service and the holiday ambience, but you are also supporting your local community. Yes, that is right. When you shop downtown, you are helping support the community because the grand share of money spent goes directly back to our local economy through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. It is also captured further in a national movement called the 3/50 Project, which has swept the nation with statistics such as "for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here and if you spend it online, nothing comes home." For more information, please visit www.the350project.net. The 3/50 Project allows to give back to our community in a way that has a ripple effect throughout the entire city. Our downtown is something to be proud of and we need to support it this season. American Express also just sponsored Small Business Saturday, which hopefully a lot of you supported. If you did not already enter to win an iPad at the Fayetteville Regional Chamber, they are asking you to bring in your receipts from locally owned small businesses (downtown!) for a chance to win. You have until Dec. 7 to bring in your receipts and do not forget to tag your favorite stores online with #shopsmall #downtownfay! Oh, and this goes without needing to be said, but do not forget that most all stores and restaurants downtown carry gift cards that make excellent stocking stuffers. They make perfect gifts for those people on the list who are truly impossible to shop for and also are the gift that keeps going especially for new residents. In fact, if there are any realtors out there that want to make a good impression while closing, why not give a gift card to a locally owned downtown restaurant so that they can experience downtown and have a great dinner while there kitchen boxes are still being unpacked? Of course, it is just an idea and one that does not have to be solely for realtors. Christmas gift cards to our downtown shops and restaurants are perfect for everyone from the teachers taking a break from the classroom for the holidays to soldiers coming back from overseas and more. A gift card could mean a first introduction for a long standing love that is for sure. So no matter how you give your gifts, shop downtown for the holidays it truly is a win-win for everyone. New Location Behind Ruby Tuesday LUXURY NAILS & DAY SPA Full Service Spa Manicure • Spa Pedicure • Facial • Eyebrows • Eyelashes Walk-Ins Welcome • Gift Certificates Available Mon-Sat 9:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. 3636-B Ramsey St. • Fayetteville, NC 28311 (910) 484-7059 20 UCW DECEMBER 4-10, 2013 Dec. 14 – Fayetteville Rotary Christmas Parade, Rotary Clubs of Fayetteville, www.rotarychristmasparade.com Dec. 14 and 21 – Carriage Rides with Santa Fayetteville Downtown Alliance, www.faydta.org Dec. 14 and 21 – Pictures with Santa Airborne and Special Operations Museum, www.asomf.org Dec. 15 – Candlelight Loft Tours, Fayetteville Downtown Alliance, www.faydta.org Dec. 21 – Breakfast with Santa, Fascinate-U Children's Museum, www.fascinate-u.com Dec. 21 – Ryan's Reindeer Run, The Ryan P. Kishbaugh Memorial Foundation, www.ryansreindeerrun.com Downtown Farmer's Market and City Market at the Museum every Wednesday and Saturday! JAMI SHEPPARD McLAUGHLIN, Downtown Development Manager jmclaughlin@ci.fay.nc.us www.visitdowntownfayetteville.com www.facebook.com/downtownfayetteville The City of Fayetteville, NC does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, age, national origin, religion, or disability in its employment opportunities, programs, services, or activities. THE RAYNOR LAW FIRM A General Practice Law Firm • 2003 North Carolina County Attorney of the Year • Civil Litigation & Administrative Hearings, Collections, Traffic, Disability & Personal Injury HARVEY W. RAYNOR, III 208 Rowan Street • Fayetteville, NC 28301 (910) 587-5543 www.theraynorlawfirm.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM