Small business owners ask you to shop local in Louisville this weekend

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Before you start shopping online and checking people off, consider supporting small local businesses.

Work the Metal is a locally-run gift store in Butchertown on Story Avenue. For the past twenty years, the 15,000 square foot space has been selling fun, quirky gifts for men, women, and children.

"Around Christmas time it's a lot of fun. I want it to feel like a Hallmark movie basically when you come in and you're enveloped in the experience of it and that's what I like about it," Jack Mathis, the co-owner of Work the Metal, said. "You can escape for an hour or even two hours and leave in a better mood."

While they are striving for people to shop local, they also support local themselves. Several of their items are made through local companies and personnel. They sell bourbon barrel items, which are made local, as well as pieces of jewelry, chocolates, and sea-salt caramels.

"I think supporting local is really good for the community. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do order from Prime whenever I need something really fast. But if I can, I love to shop local," Mallory Baumann, who was shopping and visiting from New Albany, said. "I love supporting anything that has to do with local businesses because I love supporting back into my community."

Jennifer Rubenstein with Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA) said studies show shopping local keeps more money circulating in Kentucky's economy.

"We want folks to kind of think of themselves as citizens as well as consumers," Rubenstein said. "Think about where you take your family when they're visiting from out of town during the holidays. It's usually those places that are unique, that make our city what it is [and] give us our sense of place. So, we want to support those folks."

She added that of every $100 spent, $55 will stay local, as opposed to only $14 at a chain.

"We want to keep our dollars here, payroll dollars here," Mathis said. "You're supporting the business but also the people that work there."

Work the Metal is one of several local businesses participating in Small Business Saturday this weekend. It is one of many small businesses eager to see you this weekend.

"A lot of times, when I want to buy a gift, I want to touch and feel it. I want the person to know I spent time looking for it, and not just clicking a button and arriving at a door, but to have that shopping experience and that's what the holiday season is about, too, is going out and enjoying that experience," Mathis said.

"You get to know the shop owners and you get to know everybody who works throughout those businesses. So, it's just really awesome to like pour into your community," Baumann said.

"When you come to a store like ours it really does affect a lot of people in the community and we really appreciate it," Mathis said.

Work the Metal also has a Wine bar, where you can buy $3 mimosas on Saturdays.

The store is open Monday through Friday 11am-5pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 12pm-4pm. Employees will wrap gifts for free.

For a list of participating Small Business Saturday stores, click here.