Small businesses are the heartbeat of our Valley. Across America, small businesses drive creativity and innovation and account for 40% of our nation’s economic output As part of National Small Business Week, the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber is celebrating its local businesses with a fun SnoValley Scavenger Challenge. Between May 4-10, I hope everyone visited businesses all over the Valley and followed the fun clues to win!

Not just this week, but all year ‘round, I urge you to support the small businesses in North Bend, Snoqualmie, Fall City, Carnation and Duvall. Because if we lose a local business, it affects everyone. Local “B2B” relationships and services go unused. Valley insurance, financial or legal businesses won’t be called on for advice. The I.T. computer experts that many of us depend on will get one less desperate phone call or e-mail for tech issues. HVAC professionals. contractors, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and handymen’s calendars become just a bit less busy. Rent goes late or unpaid. Buildings languish empty. Nearby businesses then get less passer-by and walk-in traffic. A few less seats are taken at our restaurants during lunch or happy hour. When a business closes, the school district and our cities get less tax revenue. Non-profits and community services, arts or athletic groups receive less sponsorships and donations. When out-of-work neighbors are scrambling to look for a new job down in Bellevue, Seattle or beyond, they are harder pressed to serve on our amazing service organizations, non-profit boards or coach youth sports.

Small businesses in the Valley also give our individual downtown’s character, diversity and a little home-grown élan. Their creative flair and the dedicated, hard-working owners, managers and staff is what makes our shopping areas so unique. Valley businesses also carry a higher percentage of locally produced goods than most national chain stores. This means jobs or income for your entrepreneurial and creative friends and neighbors. Most importantly, when a business goes dark, Valley families lose their livelihood. Scrambling to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, hard-pressed families buy fewer local products. Charity services are taxed even further. Our kids also suffer. Instead of parents and care-givers working just 15 minutes from home and schools, parents have to commute to Bellevue or Seattle or even further.

Every penny spent locally counts. I urge you to take those 30 minutes you may have spent shopping on Amazon or traveling to and from the “big box” stores in Issaquah or Redmond and take a fresh new look at what the dynamic business community in your own back yard has to offer. Revisit that cool store around the corner. Try a new restaurant that you have driven past for months. Use a local contractor or service professional. Have a beer or glass of wine in our great breweries and wineries. Many of you have a copy of the SnoValley Chamber’s Visitor and Tourism Guides or the Valley Record’s annual Residents Guide publications. Use them. In these bumpy economic times, I urge you re-group and re-think your purchasing patterns and to act, contribute and shop locally. You’ll be glad you did, and so will we all.

William Shaw is the general manager and publisher of the Snoqualmie Valley Record. You can reach him at william.shaw@valleyrecord.com.