Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Michiganders are again encouraged to shop local this Black Friday weekend. The Michigan Retailers Association is holding its Shop 3 Punch Card Challenge, where if you visit at least three locally-owned retailers and small businesses in your community, you can enter for a chance to win a $500 gift card through the link below.

“We’re expecting a lot of folks who have been holding off on shopping up to this point for the holiday season, to show up this weekend and shop local. About 80 percent say they’re specifically shopping to support a small business, which we love to hear,” said MRA spokeswoman Vic Veda.

Veda says shifting just ten percent of our out-of-state, or online shopping back into a Michigan-based business would generate enough income to feed every Michigan family for a week, or pay their utility bills for a month.

The MRA’s latest economic impact study found for every $100 spent at a locally-based retailer instead of an out-of-state online store, adds $22 of new income into Michigan.

Veda says that’s whey Howell’s Fantasy of Lights, Brighton’s Holiday Glow and other local holiday events are so important for those communities.

“It’s one of the best things you can do this holiday season to give back to those small businesses. They do so much for our communities, with sponsoring sports teams and really giving back to their customers and making sure their communities are taken care of,” she said.

“Getting downtown and visiting all these local businesses, try to make as many little purchases as you can at these small independently-owned shops, it makes a huge difference for these families this time of year.”