NORWICH – As another holiday shopping season draws near, Chenango County merchants are gearing up to promote shopping local during what local retailers hope will be a successful year for small businesses county-wide.

Holiday sales are expected to top $586 billion this year, according to the National Federation of Retailers. Although big-box stores are actively touting holiday sales, opening their doors earlier than ever for Black Friday – some as early as 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving – many local merchants are pulling out the stops to reap some of the benefits of the busiest shopping time of the year.

“I’m very excited about the upcoming holiday shopping season for the local merchants. They’ve been working hard at getting the message out about shopping local,” said Norwich Business Improvement District Director Roz DeRensis. In addition to crediting the work of local merchants, DeRensis also emphasized the community benefits of shopping local this holiday season. “The reminder to shop local and support local businesses who also support the area where we live helps us to build a better community, and better health and wealth,” she said.

While the Black Friday money saving bargains of chain retailers has drawn so much attention over the years, Small Business Saturday has recently gained significant momentum, thanks in part to nationwide sponsorship from American Express. For local merchants, Small Business Saturday is a chance to showcase the best they have to offer and prompt consumers to keep their money local. In Norwich, several merchants have teamed up for the annual shop local campaign from the Norwich Merchants Association (NMA).

“Our basic goal is to have people support the area where they work, live and play,” explained Anna McLaughlin, NMA President and owner of McLaughlin’s Dept. Store. In past years, NMA adopted different promotional efforts to market local goods throughout the holiday shopping season. This year, the NMA shop local campaign is focused more on Small Business Saturday, with a special “Balloon Pop” in participating stores. Consumers who make a qualified purchase will have the chance to pop a balloon and with every balloon, there’s a reward ranging from 10 percent off coupons to free items from various downtown merchants.

“Small Business Saturday has grown more and more every year,” McLaughlin said. “We just want the consumer to be aware that there are local places to go. It’s all about supporting a local economy to keep it thriving.”

As for her store, McLaughlin said the retailer is doing what it can t to boost consumer interest. “Everything can get so hectic at the mall and big-box stores ... One of the things we hope to do is entice people with less frenzied shopping,” she said. “We’re still pretty competitive with other stores’ offerings. We will start some sales Friday, with sales continuing Saturday too,” she said. “This is the one time of year that the entire store is on sale.”