The holiday shopping season is right around the corner, and locally-owned businesses want you to think of them.

A new organization called ShoLo (short for shop locally), is stressing the impact small businesses have on their community.

The group says research shows each dollar spent at a local business would have three-times the impact on the local economy than a dollar spent at a national chain.

About two dozen local businesses have already joined the group in the 2 or 3 weeks since it started; and are excited about its potential.

“It’s hard to talk people who live in Granger to pass 6 Starbucks to come to downtown to support me,” said Heather Yarbrough, the owner of Chicory Café in South Bend, which joined ShoLo this week.

Yarbrough says the Chicory Cafe can offer everything a chain can, and more.

“We're you know more unique and you just have a less corporate feel it feels more friendly; warmer,” Yarbrough said.

She hopes ShoLo will help her business in the long run.

“You know we’re going to start handing out things that say, ‘you just made a difference by buying something from our independent cafe rather than going to a large chain,” Yarbrough said.

The founders of ShoLo say that difference is that the money stays in the community.

“Locally owned businesses hire local service providers. We hire local advertising agencies, and local everything and the money just keeps re-circulating,” said Rebecca Maalouf, owner of Camellia, the Makeup Store, and co-founder of ShoLo.

ShoLo says average of 86% of the money spent at a chain retailer leaves the area. Mainly just the payroll and taxes stay local.

Meanwhile, others just want the money to be spent here in the first place.

“A lot of people come in and say, ‘oh I'm going to go to Chicago for the weekend, to see if I find anything (to buy).’ We're like ‘it’s here!’ You don’t have to go to Chicago to shop, you can do it here locally,” said Jeanne Skelton, owner of Inspire Me!, which is also a member of ShoLo.

For small business owners, the idea comes natural.

“The restaurants that I go to the grocery stores that I go to, even the gas stations; I try to go locally versus (a chain) because I know how important it is,” Skelton said.

For ShoLo the plan is to spread that mindset.

“We want people to be proud; and to say when they’re making the decisions with their friends, lets look at the locally owned businesses,” Maalouf said.

ShoLo founders say it's also important to keep these hometown businesses with character in business, so we're not just 'Anytown, USA.'

“The best places that you want to bring your friends from out of town are your local restaurants and businesses. So we just want to capture that and protect it, more than anything, especially in these tough economic times,” Maalouf said.

To visit the ShoLo website, follow the link below.