Honolulu is second only to Philadelphia when it comes to the best U.S. cities in which to shop local, according to the inaugural survey by online review site Yelp.com and the Harris Poll.

Honolulu ranked ahead of No. 3 Seattle; No. 4 Oakland, Calif.; and No. 5 Portland, Ore.

"It’s a big deal that Honolulu’s No. 2," said Emi Hart, Hawaii’s senior community director for Yelp.

"I think people like to shop local because we’re in Hawaii, and shopping local … is just so much more significant for us here," she said.

"We certainly have a lot of really amazing big-box retailers here, and many of the stores they have here are No. 1 in the nation (in terms of revenue), but Yelp is really about supporting local businesses," Hart said. "That is why people come to Yelp: They want to find hidden gems, the mom-and-pop businesses that have not only a great product, but customer service, and that’s a reflection of the love that people put into their businesses," she said.

Small-business owners such as Marie Owens of Owens & Co. at 1152 Nuuanu Ave. and Cindy Yokoyama of Ginger 13 at 22 S. Pauahi St. in Chinatown, as well as Nalani Holliday, owner of Red Pineapple in Ward Centers, are the types of shop owners that "curate everything in their store by hand," Hart said, and in doing so, support local businesses by stocking their handcrafted products.

Yokoyama makes and sells jewelry, "and to make something by hand these days, when everything is manufactured, is not an easy thing," Hart said. "You can order anything online or go to a big box and buy something that’s made by the tens of thousands," but many people are looking for things that are "special and have more love and care put into it," she said.

The joint Yelp and Harris Poll research found that 64 percent of American adults, or more than 150 million people, will shop at local businesses this holiday season and spend an average of $258.

Thankfully, Yelp and Harris Poll already did the arithmetic, which leads to a total of nearly $40 billion being spent with independent retailers this month and next.

The study is about plans for the whole holiday season, meaning it goes beyond the one-day Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28, when American Express and the U.S. Small Business Administration encourage people to "shop small" and make their purchases from small businesses.

"I think for Hawaii to come in second is actually phenomenal," said Sheri Sakamoto, president of Retail Merchants of Hawaii, a business association for retailers.

With a nod to the "great retailers coming into town," Sakamoto also is encouraged about local businesses having such strong support from local customers, "who are such good patrons in the sense of supporting the economy," she said.

"Hawaii people have so much pride and so much loyalty, especially for locally owned retailers," Sakamoto said.

Researchers analyzed millions of Yelp reviews to compile the list of the top 20 U.S. markets in which to find gifts at local businesses. Analysts created what they called a "gifting score" for each city by looking at reviews — that mention the word "gift" — of businesses in specific shopping categories popular for holidays. They then ranked cities based on the gifting score, including a maximum of two cities per state.

The bottom five were 16th-ranked Minneapolis; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Washington; Tulsa, Okla.; and, in 20th place, Las Vegas.

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