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Above, Kristan Alvarez, owner of KnD's Boutique, shows customers her merchandise at a booth on the lawn of the Hays County Historic Courthouse. Daily Record photo by Alyssa Gonzales

KEEPING IT LOCAL: Shopping local throughout the Holiday season

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Now that the countdown to Christmas has officially begun, many are looking to get everything they need on their holiday shopping list. While it’s easy to go online or larger corporate stores for gifts, you may find hidden gems within local businesses around town. 

Local shops and businesses make up a large portion of companies here in San Marcos. With the lingering impact of the pandemic, shopping locally can make a big difference in the community. 

“It is kind of like a different, different traffic that goes through. Of course, our students are gone and I always just try to like, encourage my neighbors and stuff like, just to reach out to locals,” said Kristan Alvarez, owner of KnD’s Boutique. 

According to Alvarez, the holiday season allows her to set up pop-up shops at holiday events in town. The boutique is close to celebrating its 10th anniversary and despite the challenges of the pandemic, 2020 was one of the businesses' most successful years. 

“I was closed for a week and I remember being home with, you know, with my family, and I'm like, ‘What am I gonna do?’ Alvarez said. “She's like, ‘Well, why don't we make masks?’ So we made 50 that one night, and we sold out within seconds.” 

Alvarez and her mother began making masks and within the past 6 months were making 100-200 masks a day. With business increasing, Alvarez was able to purchase a building downtown for customers to shop in person. 

“I think the main thing you can do just to help the community is just definitely buying local as much as possible,” said Thomas Escalante, owner of Sundance Record Lagoon. “The amount that money goes back into the community is like night and day versus buying something from online, you won't feel that impact.” 

For Sundance Record Lagoon, the pandemic pushed back the grand opening for the store. However, the local shop is now looking to gear back up for the holiday season after opening in August. 

“We're kind of getting our feet wet and kind of testing the waters right now,” Escalante said. 

The community is still encouraged to spread the word and follow local businesses on social media regardless of whether they can purchase from them during the holidays. 

“Even if you can't you know, purchase anything, just a simple share, a simple like on Facebook, you know, word of mouth,” Alvarez said. 

For updates and more information, follow Sundance Record Lagoon at @sundance_record_lagoon on Instagram and like their page on Facebook. To browse KnD’s Boutique, like their page on Facebook and follow @shopknds on Instagram.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666