Hoboken named a Top City to Shop Local for the Holidays

HOBOKEN—New York City may have Fifth Avenue and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but when it comes to small local businesses with great holiday gifts, it has nothing on Hoboken. The Mile Square City is tenth on Yelp’s ranking of the ; Top 20 Cities to Shop Local for the Holidays.
Yelp’s new ranking highlights “U.S. cities with the largest concentration of highly-rated, local businesses where holiday shoppers can find great gifts.” The top ranked city is Portland, Maine, and the list spans regions and sizes from Bend, Oregon to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Hoboken’s holiday charm will be out for all to see on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which American Express has christened Small Business Saturday. Washington Street, the city’s commercial core, is one of five streets nationwide that will receive a Main Street Makeover from AmEx in conjunction with the day.
In hopes of further incentivizing holiday shopping at local businesses, the Hoboken City Council voted this past Wednesday to give drivers a break on parking. On Saturdays from Nov. 29 through Dec. 20 and every day from Dec. 21 to Dec. 25, drivers can park free for up to four hours in city garages if they present receipts showing at least $20 worth of purchases in Hoboken.

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