Like helping clean up a park, organize a block party or attend a civic meeting, the holiday shopping season can offer a chance for community engagement. Where you shop and what you buy matters.

Here are five reasons we hope you will buy local during the holidays (and the rest of the year too for that matter):

1. An estimated 68 cents of every dollar spent locally goes back into the community. So you get to help feed this virtuous circle of convivial commerce. That makes you awesome in our book.

2. Local non-profits receive an estimated 250 percent more assistance from local businesses than they do from national chains. When was the last time Applebee’s offered to cater a University City Arts League event? That’s what we thought.

3. You can find high-quality, locally made items. For example, VIX Emporium sells locally made nail polish with West Philly themed colors like “Kingsessing Crimson.” You think you’re going to find that at Target? No mam.

Locally made West Philly nail polish at @vixemporium Baltimore Ave burgundy, Fiume fuscia, The Gold Standard pic.twitter.com/61EfpBLAOH

— West Philly Local (@WestPhillyLocal) November 4, 2014

4. Small business owners are our neighbors and friends. Typically, they’re in the neighborhood for the long haul. Among other things, that means we can yell at them if they don’t shovel the snow in front of their shop.

5. Locally owned small businesses don’t need much to operate so they are better for the environment. They don’t tax the infrastructure or gobble up tons of land. Local businesses are usually located along a public transportation route, they often have bike racks and they very rarely have big parking lots.

For those reasons and a ton of others we are doing our best to promote local businesses this holiday season. Pleas check out our annual “Buy Local for the Holidays” campaign page to see what our partners – local shops, restaurants, arts, and other organizations – have to offer this holiday season.

Stuff the turkey, mash the potatoes, pour the gravy and sleep in because Black Friday is not the time to shop this holiday season. Instead, spend some holiday savings during Small Business Saturday! Buying local and supporting local business is a great way to give the community a boost.

West Philly is home to many great bookstores, including Bindlestiff Books (4530 Baltimore Ave), and Penn Book Center (130 S. 34th St), which is holding an Indies First event on Saturday, Nov. 29. Local authors are volunteering for a campaign spearheaded by Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) to support independent bookstores. Authors Anna Badkhen, Joan DeJean and Ken Kalfus will be helping all attendees pick out the perfect holiday reads for family and friends. Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to get advice from extraordinary authors.

From left to right: Anna Badkhen, Joan DeJean, and Ken Kalfus. (Photo courtesy Penn Book Center)

Badkhen, a West Philly based writer, is recommending “Citizen,” Claudia Rankins’ new book-length poem on racism and how our government deals with it as a way to sort through the recent events in Ferguson, Mo.

So, remember to attend Penn Book Center’s Indies First Small Business Saturday event on November 29th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and as part of the Small Business Saturday package Penn Book Center will be offering a two for one Holiday Sale on titles from the Everyman’s Library and a selection of cookbooks! Mulled wine, hot cider, and holiday treats will be served as well.

– Andrew Foronda

EDITOR’S NOTE: Small Business Saturday is a great opportunity to kick off your holiday shopping and support local businesses. Many of them will have special events and offers on Nov. 29, including businesses like Baltimore Pet Shoppe, VIX Emporium and others. Please check this page for more information.

Snow is falling in Philadelphia and we hope that everyone who is traveling today for Thanksgiving has a safe trip. Those who will be celebrating the holiday here will probably find the information below useful. Happy Thanksgiving!

City offices will be closed this Thursday and public schools will be closed Thursday and Friday. Libraries will close on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and will remain closed on Thursday. There will be no trash and recycling collection on Thursday. Post offices will also be closed and there will be no mail delivery on Thursday. And here’s information on Thanksgiving SEPTA service and hours for some local stores, cafes and restaurants. Please note that most restaurants will be closed on Thursday but will reopen on Friday (some will be serving special brunch on Friday!).

SEPTA
Thursday – Buses, trolleys, regional rail operate on Sunday schedule. Market-Frankford & Broad Street Line service will operate on a special schedule. All night train service will be available beginning Thursday at 12:01 a.m. Regular Owl Bus service will resume Friday at 12:01 a.m.

Friday – Many SEPTA Bus and Trolley Routes will operate on a modified weekday schedule. Specific route service information is available on printed timetables and at www.septa.org  Continue Reading

Where an old, grand church building stood for 136 years until last December there is a glass box now. Well, at least it’s a useful box.

Many of our readers will be excited to know that the new retail space at the corner of 40th and Sansom was completed earlier this month and already started welcoming its first occupants. Dunkin’ Donuts, Zesto Pizza, and Jake’s Sandwich Board already opened their doors. Hai Street Kitchen, a Japanese burrito shop, is coming in early 2015, according to Philly.com’s The Insider.

From left to right: Danielle Coulter, Ross Scofield, and Tim Blair. (Photo West Philly Local)

The three young restaurateurs who run Rx The Farmacy (45th and Spruce) have big plans for the Third World Lounge, the bar and dance club with a checkered history, at 49th and Catharine.

Tonight they will talk through those plans, which include a new bar that will feature live music and a wide selection of beer, wine and spirits, at the monthly meeting of Cedar Park Neighbors, which runs from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Calvary Center (48th and Baltimore).

Ross Scofield, Danielle Coulter – the owners of The Farmacy – and chef Tim Blair have been quietly renovating the Third World Lounge since striking a deal with building owner Noel Karasanyi, who will retain ownership of the building and rent it to the trio. The new place will likely be called The Bar(n) to reflect the connection with The Farmacy and its rustic, farm-fresh cuisine, but also to sidestep any airs of pretension. The name, craft beer on tap and plans for a daily rotating $2 draft special signal a place that will appeal to a wide spectrum of clientele.

“A melting pot,” Blair said of the crowd the trio hopes to attract. A place for beer connoisseurs and “the friend who is broke,” said Scofield.

Karasanyi, who fled Idi Amin’s Uganda in the early 1970s, opened the Third World in 1986 as an establishment aimed at African and Caribbean immigrants. The establishment has had several brushes with city inspectors, tax collectors and police in recent years, which, along with changes in neighborhood demographics, have prompted Karasanyi to close it down. Earlier this year he sold the Watusi II (45th and Locust), which recently reopened under new ownership as the New Tavern.

Scofield said the building’s interior has been thoroughly rehabbed and will include several large flat screens and a dance floor. Local bands interested in playing have already approached the trio. Future plans include possibly adding sit-down dining on the second floor. Scofield said he doesn’t expect to need any zoning variances to get the operation going.

The Bar(n) looks set to open next month.

– Mike Lyons

Another Baltimore Avenue business that closed as a consequence of the 2012 Christmas Eve fire at Elena’s Soul Bar and Lounge has finally reopened. PT Nails Plus (formerly Gary’s Nails) opened last month at 4910 Baltimore Avenue after many months of rebuilding and remodeling work. And we have to say it looks great! The salon was partially destroyed during the demolition of the Elena’s Soul building in late December 2012 – a part of its roof and wall collapsed.

Cedar Park Cafe, another business damaged in the aftermath of the 2012 Baltimore Avenue fire, reopened last summer at 4912 Baltimore Ave. Elena’s Soul’s former home is currently occupied by Greensgrow Farms.

And since some of our readers said they were eager to make an appointment at the new salon this information may be useful:

PT Nails Plus offers manicures, pedicures, skin care treatments and waxing services. It’s open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. To make an appointment call 215-307-3484.