This year, business owners all across the Tampa Bay area have told Tampa Bay 28 how important it is to shop local.With the economy being in its current state, everybody loves local businesses, but its also important to remember that we are directly competing with big box chain stores, said Martha Trejo, owner of Sweet Roots Apparel in Plant City.I think a lot of times people are very much like 'shop small, shop local' but then they dont actually do the physical act or like the going forward with that, said Rachel Clark, who works at Shoreline Sugars Boutique in St. Petersburg.WATCH: Small business owners urge people to shop local for the holidays Small business owners urge people to shop local for the holidaysCommunity support is crucial for these shops.Theres no way we could do what we do without the support of our customers, said Allison Bernardi, owner of Hazel + Dot.This year, that support is more important than ever.This was one of our toughest years weve had as a small business, said Bernardi.Hazel + Dot is a gift shop in Tampa and has been open for 10 years. Bernardi told Tampa Bay 28 that this summer was the hardest summer shes had.This summer really felt different. It felt like people were definitely being more careful about their spending, which we totally understand, said Bernardi.Many shops have had slow summers, putting many behind on revenue goals.Weve seen a lot of closures, so that makes it even more real that its so important that you support local businesses, said Bernardi.I know people are really hoping for customers to come through the doors and get those online sales. And so its huge, said David Gesacion, owner of For the Bay Clothing in Tampa.Hes seen a lot of growth this year after rebranding, recently releasing a new collection, and big partnerships like DICKs Sporting Goods. Its a tight-knit community, and we would definitely not be where we are today without the people and the partners that have helped share their pitfalls and have helped share their experiences and wins with us, said Gesacion.He still echoes the need for that holiday revenue push to get to the new year.This is the time, kind of now, where the community can give back to the small businesses because this is crunch time for most small businesses like ourselves. I mean, you work all year for Q4, said Gesacion.Thats why, as youre wrapping up your holiday shopping for the next week, small business owners hope youll buy local for the rest of the gifts on your list.This year, it could make or break many of our local shops, which are the backbone of our communities.If you are holiday shopping and you have the choice of where to spend, its so important that you shop locally because so much more of that revenue goes back into your local community. Small businesses are donating to your kids schools, said Bernardi.We give a lot back to our community. So its definitely important to get that love back from our community, said Trejo. ...read more read less