This week a native Alexandrian was back in town for the first time in decades. He was shocked at what he called our city’s “glow up”. And the thing he noticed first? Our great core of shops and restaurants. There’s no doubt in my mind that Alexandria is the most authentic place to shop, stroll and dine – and its character attracts people to come to our city as visitors and residents.

How did it happen? Alexandria has great architecture and history. It always had the “good bones” to be a destination. But what makes it great are the people. Take it from me, after owning retail shops here for 21 years, I know there’s not a more loyal clientele or a more collaborative community of small business owners. And bonus, there’s a core group of phenomenal female entrepreneurs who make big things happen.

In 2005, several of us got together with a mission greater than our own stores. We wanted to make Alexandria a regional shopping destination, and we began cooperating on marketing efforts to make it happen. We created signature events that commanded attention from the regional media - like our Black Friday event, which we call Plaid Friday, our summer Sidewalk Sale, our winter Walkable Warehouse Sale, and more. We knew a rising tide would lift all boats, and that creating a sense of community in our retail sector would make the whole town a better place to live. 

In some years, we had support from the city government and our tourism board in this effort. Our collaboration was executed through a variety of platforms and groups. But no matter how much help we had, our mission remained the same, and it worked! Now, Alexandria’s quaint little shopping and dining district is routinely recognized by national travel publications as a shining star. People come here just to see what we get to live every day.

So how did we make it? As a boutique proprietor who survived the Great Recession and a global pandemic, I can tell you the answer: It’s because our clientele is so loyal. People who discover our great small businesses tend to go all-in. And that’s what it takes to keep what our town has. The fact is it gets harder every year for independent businesses. We don’t have the marketing muscle, economies of scale, or delivery fleets of big box stores or online stores. They can discount more, pound you with advertising, and deliver it faster than we can.

But what the big boys don’t have is a commitment to our quality of life. You won’t find Amazon or Nordstrom donating gift cards to your neighborhood school’s auction. You won’t see them sponsoring youth sports, or local charity galas. You won’t see them taking high school interns, or serving on local civic leadership boards. And you definitely won’t see the national chains helping organize the community events that you enjoy. But that’s exactly what you get from a thriving small business sector - community leadership that goes beyond our brick and mortar stores.

We are now entering make-or-break time for these small businesses. I’m going to be honest with you and tell you that 2024 has been precarious for all of us. The holiday shopping season is critical to all the stores, salons, and restaurants you’ve come to love in Alexandria. We need your support now.

I confess to being guilty of using the “easy button” of online ordering too often, but this year, for my Christmas list, I’m determined to buy it all locally. It can be done and in doing so, I’ll be putting my dollars where my heart is – in my hometown. 

This weekend we kick off the season with Plaid Friday, the small business version of Black Friday. More than 50 businesses are participating with deals and promotions all day. Some of us, like my two stores, are even opening at 6 am for what has become an Alexandria tradition. See here for all participating shops.

If you love where you live, and the authentic walkable shopping district that everybody else envies, come do the holidays with us!

SEE ALSO: Small Business Saturday in Old Town: Gift With Purchase