This Saturday is Shop Small Saturday, visit your local camera store and show them your support for what they do to make your community better. Let them know they matter by making a purchase, even if it is just a stocking stuffer or two for the shutterbug in your family - even small purchases can make a big difference.

Think back through the years and remember when visiting them was on the top of your list of favorite shopping excursions. Sometimes before making a purchase we need some expert advice or we just want to see hold and feel something before we purchase it. Other times we may be getting ready for a shoot and at the last minute realize that we need something. Our local camera stores fill these needs and it is important to keep our local camera stores around.

At  Acratech we have done what we can to help local stores. We ask all of our dealers to sell our ballheads and other products at the same price. This helps the local stores compete against the giant online retailers.

Internet shopping has been unkind to local camera stores. They are suffering from slow sales and some are even closing their doors. We were sad to hear that Keeble and Shuchat in Palo Alto has closed their doors after 51 years in business.

Small businesses are primary tax bases for your local community. When you shop at a small business, on average 52% of their revenue will be returned to your local economy, as opposed to the mere 14% returned by national chain retailers. This revenue differential is anything but abstract: more money in staying in your local economy directly translates to more jobs, higher wages, and improved public services such as roads, parks, schools. Want to make a difference in your community? Shopping local is the easiest way you can do this.

Please share this with a friend to help keep our local camera stores in business.

I am at my local camera store Powell Camera making a purchase, earlier today.