Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs, makers and artists urge shoppers to stay local this holiday season

Shop local this holiday season After experiencing a large dip during the pandemic, holiday shopping has been steadily rising over the last few years, with a record 186 million people planning to shop from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday this year, according to the National Retail Foundation. While Black Friday is the most popular day to shop, 67 million people plan to shop specifically on Saturday, with 80% of those saying they want to support local businesses on Small Business Saturday. Ohio has more than 90,000 small retail businesses, who employ almost 180,000 workers in the state, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. We're going to devote Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas" to highlighting the entrepreneurs, makers and artists from across Northeast Ohio who rely on this time of year to keep doing what they love. Guests: -Mike Brighton, Owner, Gray Dog Comics -Corbin Wandling, Production Manager, Nosh Butters -Lori Parnell, Founder and Maker, Black Culture Candles -Dominic Caruso, Communications Director, Downtown Akron Partnership -Charlie Malta aka Guice Man, Artist -Tessa Lebaron, Artist -Maureen Ater, President and CEO, ArtsinStark