On your mark, get ready … go shopping. Today officially opens the start of the busiest season of the year for retailers — the holiday shopping season.

With a plethora of &uot;after-Thanksgiving&uot; sales and specials, retailers will throw open their doors today to greet the customers.

And we suspect they’ll find plenty of shoppers on their doorsteps.

We hope, too, that hometown retailers will continue to see those shoppers throughout the holiday season.

From downtown merchants to mall merchants to hundreds of others throughout the Miss-Lou, local retailers are anxious to serve their customers. And with good reason.

Our hometown businesses are shoppers’ treasures — from the unique merchandise offered to the friendly service that can be found only in a hometown. After all, where else can you find merchants who offer curbside service to busy shoppers in downtown? Or merchants who know you by name and, more important, know just what someone else has been eyeing on his or her Christmas wish list?

Most important, by spending our money — and we know consumers will spend it during the holiday season –&160;at home, we help ourselves. The money spent locally &uot;turns over&uot; an estimated seven times in our economy, from sales taxes paid to payroll checks disbursed to retailers’ own purchases with other local merchants.

It’s a smart investment in our economy, and a smart way to enjoy shopping for the holiday season.

So start those shopping engines … and drive around your hometown for holiday shopping this year.