JACKSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — As Thanksgiving 2025 comes to an end, holiday shopping might be looming large in your mind. This year, consider skipping online or big-box stores and keeping your money in the community at a local business.

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In this week’s Shop Local series, we visited Jackson County. We started in Dillosboro, where, if you’re road-tripping this holiday season, you’re in good company.

“Dillsboro is traditionally and historically a railroad community, a railroad town, and it hit its heyday in the late 1800s when tourists would come from Asheville and other places and just relax in the mountains,” Whitney Kreiling, the owner of The Fox’s Burrow, said.

The Fox’s Burrow in Dillsboro, North Carolina. (Photo: WLOS Staff)

In 2025, the same holds true.

“We decided that we would focus on the nature that brings people to this area,” Kreiling, who is a former park ranger, said of her shop. “And everything we have in our store is in some way related to nature.”

SHOP LOCAL: HIGHLIGHTING HENDERSON COUNTY’S SMALL BUSINESSES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The shop sells a little bit of everything, including glassware, candles, children’s puzzles, STEM playsets and more. Many of the products for sale are created by local artists.

“These shops…some have been here for many years, but it is very difficult to keep a small business going but by [shopping local],” Kreiling said.

She said those who spend their holiday cash in mountain businesses are doing more than just helping a single shop.

“They’re helping the other small businesses that are represented by the vendors in that store,” she said. “And they’re helping keep this historic community alive, too.”

For the outdoor enthusiasts, Black Balsam Outdoors has you covered. It’s down the street in Sylva and specializes in hiking shoes and trail running, according to manager Matthew Morelli.

“We do have some stuff for paddling, and recently we got some stuff for rock climbing,” Morelli said.

In western North Carolina, there are a lot of places to shop for outdoor adventures, but none quite like Black Balsam.

“When someone decides to shop small business, it means that, quite literally, that someone I know gets to eat that night,” Morelli said. “Like, basically, that’s what it comes down to.”

Cruise down Main Street to Baxley’s Chocolates for the sweet tooth on your list. It’s a family-run business that runs deep. Lauren Baxley is co-owner.

“It was a family hobby that started with my grandfather, and we started making it over 40 years ago just at home in our kitchens,” she said.

Baxley’s Chocolates in Sylva, North Carolina. (Photo: WLOS Staff)

Fast forward to today, and the Baxleys have a lively business, serving up confections of all kinds. But during this time of the year, chocolate sugar plums and peanut butter meltaways are big hits.

“I think working with the customers is probably one of my favorite parts. You know, we have a lot of tourism but we definitely have a lot of locals that are wonderful about coming in an supporting small businesses,” Baxley said.

Across the street, In Your Ear Music Emporium is a record store that’s much more than a record store.

“We don’t cater to one specific niche,” manager Ceci Wright said. “We try to cater to what everyone’s wanting. So, have everything from K-pop, to grunge 90s that you guys were just talking about. Everything to classic rock, metal, punk, pop — everything.”

In Your Ear Music Emporium, a record store in Sylva, North Carolina. (Photo: WLOS Staff)

And last, but not least, get your healing fix at Snake Song.

“We call it a plant sanctuary because we use plants for medicine, we use plants for beauty, we grow plants, and we’re using them in every sense, right?” co-owner Jacque Laura said. “So, I think it’s basically a retail shop for, I guess, people who love nature.”

Laura said the shop caters directly to “townies,” which then translates to tourists.

Snake Song, a “plant sanctuary in Sylva, North Carolina. (Photo: WLOS Staff)

“I think a lot of times in retail, we think we’re always trying to hit those tourist dollars, and the tourist dollars are really fantastic, but where are our tourists the rest of the year?” she said. “And if you’re not connecting to who is in our neighborhood and who is in your surrounding counties, then you’re not attracting tourists, anyway.”

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Check out local shopping options in Henderson County.