Small, local businesses in Anderson County hope for holiday rush of shoppers [Video]

ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — As Christmas quickly approaches, many people are looking for ways to check off their holiday checklists. For businesses in Anderson County, now is their busiest time of year. 

“We get lots of locals, lots of visitors, I’d say it’s probably 50-50 visitors and locals. Yeah, it’s just a busy time of year. We love it, so fun,” said Dawn Raider, owner of a small business in Historic Downtown Clinton.

“On Saturdays, the community really comes together and they go hit every single store in town. And they say, ‘Hi’ to everybody and everybody knows who we all are,” said Samantha Dymond, a co-owner of a coffee shop in Rocky Top.

Anderson County has many local businesses across its five municipalities, and when people shop locally that money …