EDITORIAL

This Friday is “Black Friday,” the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It is the day when retailers begin to go from being in the red, or posting a loss on the books, to being in the black, or turning a profit.

With the economy still struggling, it’s important to shop Diboll whenever possible this Christmas.

Over the past couple months, Diboll has shown increases in sales tax revenue. Business owners should be pleased with the growth. It means local people are finding what they need right here at home. Convenience, shorter driving distances and less traffic congestion than Lufkin may be having a positive impact on Diboll sales.

We all know there are things the big city offers that just can’t be found in Diboll, but sometimes we forget what we have here. While we may not have a large department store or toy stores. There are a variety of offerings from which to choose right here in Diboll: Hardware, furniture, electronics, farm and ranch supplies, trinkets, beauty products, and food and drink to name just a few.

Every dollar spent here turns over several more times, helping the local economy continue to hold its own.

Most of us will do some Christmas shopping elsewhere in Angelina County, and that’s good. That helps support our county. However, before you fill up the tank for a trafficfilled shopping expedition, take a moment and think about where you can get what you need close to home. They may not have your big-ticket items, but our stores do have items to offer. Businesses ­ such as Vanity Salon in this week’s Free Press -- are beginning to advertise what they have to offer. Take a look each week at the advertising that supports your local paper and read the local columnists; they often have some shopping tips, too.