Editorial: Visitors often ask us here in the Lowcountry how to do as the locals do.

Today is the perfect time to answer: "We shop local."

We encourage the thoughts of an organization called Sustainable Connections that says: "Think Local -- Buy Local -- Be Local."

In Beaufort County, we know full well the best reasons to buy local because we are dominated by small, locally owned businesses. These are our neighbors. They become our customers. And they are consistent supporters of local charities that constantly call on businesses to give to good causes.

We also know that it is important that we stand out in the sea of options for today's travelers. That requires the unique personalities of local shops and their owners.

We know that these local businesses are job creators. We know that they form the economic base year-round, today and tomorrow.

Sustainable Connections says: "A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character."

Beaufort County actually has a number of different characters. Downtown Beaufort, Old Town Bluffton, Okatie, Hilton Head Island, Lady's Island, St. Helena Island -- each have many different local shopping and dining experiences.

No longer do people of the Lowcountry have to head for Savannah, Charleston or Atlanta to shop. Now it is all here.

Just as visitors want to know how to act local, the local people often fret about how to make their hometown prosper. The best way is to vote with your wallet. Spend money where it will do the most good for the most people who mean the most to you.

Over the next month, a lot of "voting" will be taking place with wallets.

Remember that Beaufort County is a collection of small towns, and good people in small towns always help their neighbors.

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Editorial: Visitors often ask us here in the Lowcountry how to do as the locals do.."