ABQ Times

Today, the City of Albuquerque celebrated the lighting of a 36-foot holiday tree on Civic Plaza, marking the start of a festive season aimed at supporting local businesses. The event featured a holiday pop-up with ten local vendors, aligning with the upcoming Small Business Saturday and Buy Local Month.

Albuquerque boasts over 40,000 small businesses that contribute significantly to the community and local economy. Mayor Tim Keller emphasized the importance of supporting these businesses during the holiday season: “There are so many opportunities this season to support our local entrepreneurs and creators who call Albuquerque home,” he said. “When you spend money locally, you are helping to support someone’s family and someone’s dream.”

Economic Development Director Max Gruner highlighted the broader impact of shopping locally: “The ripple effect shopping small and shopping local has on our community cannot be understated,” Gruner stated. “Our hope is that we can help encourage folks to look local first, because you can find the perfect gift – no matter the time of year – from a small business right here in our town.”

To facilitate local shopping, free two-hour parking will be available at meters along Central Avenue in Downtown and Nob Hill as well as City-owned parking lots in Old Town from November 30, 2024, to January 2, 2025.

A comprehensive list of holiday shopping events is accessible on the City's Holiday Buy Local Events webpage. The City also encourages visitors to use free bus services to alleviate parking challenges while attending holiday markets.

Community members are invited to engage with the Economic Development Department's shop local campaign by tagging favorite businesses on social media. This effort aims to highlight Albuquerque's diverse entrepreneurial landscape.

Recently, the Economic Development Department hosted its quarterly Small Business Resource Fair and offers various programs such as Job Training Albuquerque and initiatives through the New Mexico Minority Business Development Agency Business Center.

The Buy Local initiative was launched by the City in 2018 to promote support for locally-owned businesses. Since then, it has facilitated over $7 million in contracts awarded to local vendors.