Shop Indie Local Holiday 

Planning Resources 

2025

Welcome

We’re so glad you’re part of the Choose Indie Local movement! We encourage you to use the following resources to build a successful Shop Indie Local Holiday Season campaign.  Also, feel free to add your questions and new ideas for leveraging this movement right into this document (or email jenrisley@amiba.net). We’ll treat this as a working document to boost collaboration.

 

Some quick details with direct links to some of our resources:

• • The Shop Indie Local Holiday Season starts November 1 and ends December 31 (but feel free to start earlier!).
  • Find downloadable Shop Indie Local logos and other images here.
  • Find editable social media images in Canva (login required)
  • Find a press release template and social media examples here.
  • Add this hashtag to your posts: #shopindielocal

• Anyone anywhere can get involved.

Making Ripples

From November 1 – December 31, Shop Indie Local celebrates locally owned businesses and works to increase spending at these businesses.  Together, we urge our communities to take positive action and boost the ripple effects our neighborhoods, towns, and cities receive when we spend more of our dollars at locally owned, independent businesses.

Amplifying Our Work

We strive to amplify all local, statewide, national, and international networks’ efforts to promote buying local during the months of November and December.

 

Our timeline below features a menu of mini-events and campaigns that fall under the Shop Indie Local Holiday umbrella. You choose how your community wants to celebrate.  These are all just options — it’s not a requirement for partners to do everything!

Timeline

THEMES/MINI-CAMPAIGN IDEAS

 

November – December: Simply the Season – Shop Indie. Shop Local.

Simplify the Season: The 2024 Winter Holiday Campaign | the American Booksellers Association (2024) 

 

November 8 – December 24: Passports, Raffles, & Pledges

Shop Indie Local Passport Template

Love Live Local Shift Local Pledge (2024)

Dane Buy Local Neighborhood Passport (2023)

Shop Indie Local in Downtown Keene and WIN! (2023)

New Baltimore Business Alliance (2021)

 

December 

Shop Indie Local Editorial Template

Holiday Images – From Go Local Sonoma 

NRF | 197 Million Consumers Shop Over Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend (2024) 

ABA Marketing Calendar – December 2024 

Shop Indie Local Holiday Inspiration: Noel Night (2024)  

Pajamarama | Main Street Takoma (2024)

Holiday Food & Farm Finder: Eat Intentionally (2024) 

Refreshed ‘Tis the Season to Shop Local Assets (2021)

Community Spotlight: The Holidays on Main Street (2020)

Holiday Hunt 22 Locations – North Country Local (2022)

Exploring the Meaning and Impact of Small Business Saturday Across the Main Street Network (2023) 

 

December 6: Gift Guides, Fairs & Online Marketplaces    

Gift Local: Holiday Gift Guides and Online Marketplaces – AMIBA 

 

December 21: Super/Panic Saturday (messages for the last-minute shopper – gift cards)   

Panic Saturday: Keep Calm and Shop Indie Local On – AMIBA 

GiftCard-OneSize-FB&Twitter.jpg

GiftCard-OneSize-Instagram.jpg

GiftCard-OneSize-InstaStory.jpg

 

December 22: Friends & Family 

Focus on what matters

 

December 24: Jólabókaflóð 

Bringing Jólabókaflóð to Your Store: The Winter Holiday for Book Lovers | the American Booksellers Association (2024) 

Fall Campaign Jólabókaflóð Assets | the American Booksellers Association (2022)

How Bookstores Can Celebrate Jólabókaflóð | the American Booksellers Association (2023)

https://buff.ly/3YyLGRq 

 

December 26: Clearance Sales/Year-End Sales  

Year-End Promotions: Eat, Drink, and Be Local

 

December 29: New Years Local Resolutions 

Share your 2024 resolutions

 

Past Themes/Events

October 1 – 31: This Fall, Shop Small (2024)/The Future Is Indie (2023)/October is the new December (2021)

Blog Post – Feel free to re-post and adapt as needed (2024)

The Future Is Indie Campaign Continues For The Fall! | the American Booksellers Association (2023)

Anti-Prime Day Campaign: The Future is Indie | the American Booksellers Association (2023)

A Countdown to Quarter Four (2023)

Your Guide to Planning Holiday Marketing Campaigns (2021)

Refreshed “October is the new December” Assets (2021) 

October is the new December – community landing page (2021)

The Holidays Are Coming: Prepare With “October is the new December” (2021)

Holidays 

 

October 1 – November 15: Set Your Giving Intentions – Give More    

Give More: Shop Indie Local – AMIBA     

Blog Image – Canva

Give More Images

 

November: Shop Early

Announcing the 2022 Fall Marketing Campaign | American Booksellers Association 

“Good Books Come To Those Who Shop Early” Assets | American Booksellers Association (2022)

Refreshed “November is the new December” Assets (2021)

 

November 15: Plan for an Eat Indie Local Thanksgiving 

Eat Local Always (MA – 2024)

National Native American Heritage Month (2024) 

How to Celebrate Native American Heritage Month | First Nations Development Institute (2022) 

Gather Film

• Watch on Netflix: Gather 
• Community Viewing: Gather – $250 community screening fee
• Act | Gather Film 

North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems: NATIFS 

https://www.cedarboxexperience.com/cedar-box 

Why aren’t there more Native American restaurants?

Recipes 

Gathering Basket – Multimedia Cookbook — I-Collective 

The Story of the “First Thanksgiving” – Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective 

Indigenous Food Resources – Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective 

9 Ways to Decolonize and Honor Native Peoples on Thanksgiving (Cambridge, MA) 

Live Free & Eat Local for Thanksgiving  

 

November 18 – 22: People and Planet First Week

Partner Update – #PeopleAndPlanetFirst

Communications Pack

People and Planet First 

Event Directory – November – SEWF 

 

November 22: Pink Friday

Pink Friday | Shop Small First 

 

SHOP INDIE LOCAL WEEKEND/WEEK

Shop Indie Local Week (2024)

Shop Indie Local Week in the Monadnock Region, NH (2024)

Holidays – Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, IL (2024)

 

November 29: Plaid Friday    

Plaid Friday Overview

Plaid Friday Images 

Plaid Friday Poster

Plaid Friday Canva Poster

Invite Other Locally Owned Businesses to Participate (sample post)

Plaid Friday Press Release

 

November 30: Small Business Saturday  

Small Business Saturday | Shop Local With American Express   

Main Spotlight: 15 Ways to Celebrate 15 Years of Small Business Saturday 

https://amiba.net/small-business-rising-holiday-toolkit/  

Sign up for marketing materials – Shop Small® – American Express 

Social Media Toolkit: Small Business Saturday  

Small Business Saturday 

FAQs for Small Business Saturday – Shop Small® 

Neighborhood Champion Application (opening mid-October; application period ended for 2024)

Marketing Materials 

Small Business Rising Holiday Toolkit (2021)

 

December 1: Artist Sunday    

2024 Toolkit

Artists Sunday – Shop Art the Sunday after Thanksgiving

Press Release Template

Gift Guide Pitch

Artists Sunday media lists 2021 – all 10 lists.zip

Art Basel in Miami Beach – Dec 2 – 4

Artists Sunday: Downtown Marietta to host annual celebration of creativity

 

December 2: Cider Monday    

Cider Monday Overview

Why Cider Monday Matters

Cider Monday Press Release Template

Participating 2024 Cider Monday Businesses 

 

December 3: Giving Tuesday    

GivingTuesday: Home     

GT Rapid Community Activations 

Latest Update

How to Rally Influencers

GivingTuesday for Small Businesses + Brands

Rallying Young People To Support Your Nonprofit

GivingTuesday Graphics and Logos 

Giving Tuesday LIVE with I-Collective (2021)

 

Trends & Innovations

• Supporting Small Businesses

• • Institute for Local Self-Reliance Report
    • Independent Business – Institute for Local Self-Reliance 
  • Alignable #MyMoneyStaysLocal (2020)
    • https://www.alignable.com/blog 
  • ABA’s Holiday Marketing Assets: Your One-Stop Shop for Promoting Shopping Local, Gift Cards, and More
  • The Countdown to the 10th Annual Indies First is On! | the American Booksellers Association (2022)
  • Community Spotlight: The Holidays on Main Street (2020)
    • Search 

• Anticipated Holiday Shopping Trends

• • Winter Holidays Data Center 
    • NRF | 6 things to know about the 2022 holiday shopping season 
  • How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores 
  • Main Street America (2020)

• Private Shopping Appointments

• • Gibson’s Bookstore

• Community-Based Fundraising Efforts

• • The Local Crowd Monadnock 

• Embracing Winter  

• • City Lab How to Make the Most of Covid Winter
  • Winter Places 2.0
  • Winter Activation Ideas for Main Streets & Neighborhoods During COVID-19

• Supporting Restaurants

• • Dane Buy Local’s Soup’s On
  • Monadnock Restaurant Project

More Resources

• Plaid Friday/Black Friday

• • The Local Crowd Monadnock
  • The Roots of Plaid Friday

• Cider Monday/Cyber Monday

• • The Local Crowd Monadnock
  • Small Businesses Rise Up – Institute for Local Self-Reliance 
  • Poster
  • Cider Week New York: New York (May and October) 

• Small Business Saturday

• • Social Media Templates
  • Marketing Resources
  • Celebrate Indies First on Small Business Saturday 
  • Watertown First Shop Local Holiday Market
  • Independent We Stand How to Think Big on Small Business Saturday
  • Cambridge Local First 
  • Breakfast Crawl

• Artists Sunday

• • Toolkit (2022)
  • Press Release Template (2020)
  • Graphics (2021)
  • Artists Sunday Partner FAQ (2021)

• Small Brewery Sunday

• New Hampshire Brewers Association NH Pint Days

• Museum Store Sunday

• Giving Tuesday/Give Local

• • How to Rally Influencers
  • GivingTuesday for Small Businesses + Brands
  • Rallying Young People To Support Your Nonprofit
  • Image Templates (on Canva)
  • Social Media Ideas
  • Do Good Calendar (August)

• Buy Local Week/Month

• • Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kickoff 
  • Facebook Announces #BuyBlack Friday Initiative To Support Black-Owned Brands During Holiday Shopping Season (2021) 
  • Downtown Laramie Main Street Alliance Small Business Week Checklist (2020)
  • LoveVA Buy Local Month (2020)
  • The 2020 Holi-DAZE are here! 
  • Shop Black Week (2020)

• Pop-Up Shops

• • Holiday Pop-Up Shops
  • BIPOC Pop-Up Markets on Alberta Street
  • Virtual Plaid Friday Pop-Up Shop

• Gift Guides/Online Marketplaces

• • Support-Local
    • Spokane Independent Metro Business Alliance
    • The Local Crowd Monadnock
  • Shop Wyoming – Online Marketplace for Wyoming Small Businesses 
  • Celebrate the Holidays with Local Businesses — StayLocal 
  • LOVEVA Holiday Gift Guide – Retail Alliance 
  • Shop Local Lou – Shop Local Louisville Independent Businesses 
  • Cambridge Local First Winter Holiday Shopping Guide
  • WeLocals East Village Recovery Plan
  • LocalShops1 Buy Local, Tampa Bay
  • Apple Fest Chicago
  • Austin IBA Shop Local for the Holidays
  • Local First Utah Shift Your Shopping Holiday Guide
  • Portland Buy Local Gift Guide
  • ATTIC (Product Search Engine for Local Indie Businesses in 15 Major Cities)

• Gift Swaps

• Port City Gift Swap 

• Loyalty Programs

• • WeLocals

• Walking Tours/Holiday Strolls/Fun Events

• • https://www.facebook.com/MainStreetTakoma/posts/pfbid036vjpJMAMi2DydFoMfer9FWR7A9mX6d1xTxmQPPf4sAyJsRdQx5TP2k4otZbQtgeYl 
  • Main Street America Historic Walking Tours
  • How to Hold a Virtual Holiday Stroll 
  • Woodbridge Township Holiday Stroll
  • Lantern Parade
  • Holiday best: Richland continues wassailing tradition Thursday night – mlive.com 
  • Holiday Stroll | Ridgefield CT
  • https://pittsfordchamber.org/events/candlelight-night/  

• Passports/Raffles

• • Dane Buy Local Neighborhood Passport
  • Catch the Holiday Spirit Across Columbia County 

• Downtown Bucks/Gift Cards

• • Holladay City Holla Dollars 
  • Intown Concord Downtown Dollars
  • Instagift – Dane Buy Local 
  • Downtown Laramie Main Street Alliance Cowboy Cash
  • Downtown Madison Group Gift Card Sale

• Murals/Public Art/Placemaking

• • Small Biz Survival Temporary Art Ideas
  • BordentownStrong Selfie Station

• Virtual Events

• • Shop Small Digital Events Guide
  • MainStreet de Las Vegas Virtual Cash Mob
  • TLC Monadnock’s Plaid Friday Virtual Pop-Up Shop
  • Project Upcycle Virtual Edition

• Videos/TV Ads

• • Dane Buy Local “Share the Holidays” Zoom Video Campaign

• Radio Ads/PSAs

• • American Independent Business Alliance

• Press Releases 

• • General Announcement (2020)
  • Shop Indie Local Partner Template (2021)
  • Plaid Friday Template (2020)
  • Cider Monday Template (2020)
  • Shop Indie Local Letter to the Editor Template (2020)