I wasn’t born in a small town, as John Mellencamp so profoundly captured in the song by the same name, but I get his drift. Metro areas and larger cities cater to the masses with a little bit of this and a lotta bit of people.

The thing I’ve noticed with Moses Lake and living in the Columbia Basin is that we tend to pull together on the important issues. Of course there’s differences in cultures, backgrounds, even lifestyles. But for the most part, people care and support each other.

On Nov. 26, we have a chance to support our local merchants during Small Business Saturday. Yeah, the national chains have all the latest stuff, the latest technology, access to national brands. It’s easy to gravitate toward the mall or even make a run to Spokane or the Tri-Cities, but every time we do we’re strengthening someone else’s economy with our hard-earned dollars.

Small Business Saturday is a chance to support the local barber or beauty salon, the boutiques, the shops, the local car dealers or many other businesses in town. It’s not just a way to support your neighbor or someone you go to church with; buying local keeps our economy moving forward.

“We like the big chains and the goods they can provide and the jobs they provide. But the money goes out of the community,” Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce executive director Debbie Doran-Martinez said. “Sometimes corporations support the community, but at the end of the day, it’s the local business owners that support the football team or the band or other activities. The mom-and-pop shops are the heart of our community and we need to support them as best we can.”

I think we can do a little better than supporting our local businesses one day a year. There is a great deal of variety in the Moses Lake downtown district: local restaurants, specialty shops, coffee shops. There are also the agriculture-related businesses, anything from tractors to feed stores, financial lenders, and the Moses Lake Farmers Market.

Unlike other post-Thanksgiving sales events, Small Business Saturday shifts the focus away from large retailers and highlights three things of value in living in the Columbia Basin — small businesses, family and neighborhoods, and loyal customers. Last year, approximately $5.7 billion was spent on small businesses across the country on Small Business Saturday. So far, the campaign has reached 3.38 million likes on Facebook.

What the heck, take a trip downtown and see if there isn’t something on someone’s shelf that you can’t live without.

Rodney Harwood can be reached at 509-765-4561 ext. 111 or businessag@columbiabasinherald.com.