Forest Hills Rings In Holiday Season With Shop Local Campaign

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS -- Leslie Brown has never been a fan of Small Business Saturday.

With the holiday season approaching, the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce president told Patch she wants to remind people to support local businesses all of the time, not just one day a year.

That's why Brown purposely waited until after Small Business Saturday to launch the chamber's "Shop Forest Hills For The Holidays" campaign this year.

Instead, Forest Hills will launch the annual campaign at its 'Celebrate Winter' event on Monday, Nov. 27. The festival kicks off the holidays each year with family-friendly activities and a holiday lighting ceremony, Brown said.

"I don't really like Small Business Saturday," Brown said of the post-Thanksgiving shopping tradition founded by American Express in 2010. "I want people to shop local always, so we start putting up our 'Shop Local' posters after the winter kickoff."

The event, which starts at 5:30 p.m., will take place under a tented off portion of 71st Road between Austin St. and Queens Boulevard. It includes live music and dance performances, a fashion show and photo ops for selfies with the Forest Hills reindeer. Participants can also sample local foods from Starbucks and other local restaurants stationed throughout the festival, or grab a goodie bag with treats from some of the event's sponsors, Brown said.

Amid the holiday festivities, Brown said the chamber will be handing out flyers reminding Forest Hills residents to "Eat, Shop, Love" Forest Hills this holiday season. The chamber will also promote the campaign on its Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages, Brown said.

"I think any positive messages you can send about shopping small business is a good thing," Brown said. "Small businesses are the heart of our community, Without small businesses, you just become like any other generic town."

Lead photo via Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce.