Fallon to support local shopping, with grand prize to follow

Nothing can beat the deals offered on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but what if deals just as good — or even better — are found at the local store down the street?

For the last seven years, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is known as Small Business Saturday, as its dollars are vital to the economy nationwide.

With that, 25 locally-owned shops in Fallon are participating in the nationwide movement Nov. 25, hosted by the Fallon Chamber of Commerce.

“Fallon stands out because we have amazing shops and customers,” said Wende Hucke-Hook, owner of His Inspirations on 200 S. Maine St. “We cater to our customers and they are our main focus when they come in.”

According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses employ almost 50 percent of the U.S. workforce. But in Nevada, over 53 percent of Nevada workers are hired at locally-owned businesses, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Live Local Fallon found that buying local helps keep four times the money in Fallon’s economy; $45 out of every $100 circulates within the local economy distributing to local events, teams, charities.

“Fallon is the perfect size for this to be engaged,” said Jane Moon of the Fallon Convention & Tourism Authority. “This event has plateaued over the years and we can expect more.”

Live Local Fallon’s grand prize drawing is also another reason why this year’s event will attract a large turnout; the organization encourages locals to shop at Fallon-grown businesses with raffle.

Passport booklets are offered to participants to keep track of the businesses they shopped at and can submit the pages as entries for the drawing. The contest officially launched November 2016, as participants are not limited to submit multiple, completed pages for a chance to win for mostly prizes.

The last day of this year’s drawing ends on Small Business Saturday, giving participants an opportunity to shop at local businesses to enter for a chance to win the grand prize: a four seated Honda Pioneer UTV, with an accompanying utility trailer from Ott’s Farm Equipment & Fallon Welding.

The winner will be drawn and announced the Christmas tree lighting event, 6 p.m. Dec. 1.

Passports can be obtained at the City Hall, Fallon Chamber, or Convention Center. Completed pages can be mailed to or dropped off at the Convention Center.

For a complete set of the official rules, visit LiveLocalFallonNV.com.