Smart Living Weekly December 18, 2019

The Buy Local Movement is Catching On!

By Peggy Werner and Janine Pumilia

The “buy local” movement is growing. People want to live in places that have a strong local identity and that means shifting more shopping/dining dollars from chain stores to support locally owned businesses.

“In recent decades, policy across the country has privileged the biggest corporations,” states the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, based in Minneapolis. “Yet a growing body of research is proving something that many people already know: small-scale, locally owned businesses create communities that are more prosperous, entrepreneurial, connected and generally better off across a wide range of metrics.”

Local businesses generate 70 percent more local economic activity per square foot than chain stores do, reports the Andersonville Study of Retail Economics. That means more money re-circulates close to home rather than flying off to chain store owners.

Shopping local is also better for the environment, since it reduces processing, packaging and transportation waste.

The local food movement alone has grown nearly $12 billion in the U.S. since 2011. People not only prefer to buy locally grown and prepared food, but also are willing to pay more for it, reports the Journal of Food Distribution. Consumers view it as better for their health, the environment and the local economy.

This isn’t exactly news to Barb Kaiser, owner of the Great Harvest baked goods store at 1668 Alpine Road, Rockford, in Highcrest Centre. Barb opened the store with her late husband, Steve, in 1996, and recently transferred ownership to their son, Andy.

“Buying local” has caught on, says Kaiser. “We’ve been here a long time and are going on our second generation of ownership. That trust has been built up with our good service and products and we want other local businesses to know they can have such a success story, too.” Food is an ideal gift, she says. “We always have a big demand for our products as corporate gifts to clients and customers. It’s cost effective and everything is made with high quality ingredients and from scratch.”

Today’s fashion shoppers want something beyond the “cookie cutter” items found at chain stores, says Lisa Tatosian, manager of Eurostyle+, 510 E. State St.

“People like one-of-a-kind items, something unique that not everyone is going to be wearing, and they also like to help local merchants stay in business,” she says.

Hot selling items this year include organza jackets and jackets and dresses with sequins, mainly in gold, black, silver and red.

“Every holiday season, people want something elegant with a little sparkle,” she says.

Eurostyle+ specializes in upscale contemporary casual and evening European designs. Tatosian enjoys learning her customers’ tastes so she can accommodate them with fashions from Chicago, Amsterdam, Italy, France and other locations.

People are thinking local when it comes to their holiday meal plans, too.

Pete Lentz, owner of 640 Meats, 6410 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park, sees people ordering aged prime rib, beef tenderloin, hams and Swedish sausages.

Customers like the personal attention they get when buying local, says Lentz. His meat case is full of top-quality Midwest beef and Iowa pork.

“People like it that they can handpick their steaks, place special orders in any amount they want, get aged meat, and talk to someone who can help them find exactly what they’re looking for,” he says. “Personal attention makes all the difference.”

David and Judy Bieck own Candle Crest Soy Candles, 1418 20 th St. The holiday season is their busiest time of year.

David makes candles for his own store and also for hundreds of small businesses around the country.

“The buy local movement in this town has become really wonderful,” says David. “Our town has embraced it far more than a lot of other towns.”

In business for more than 10 years, he starts hand-pouring candles with holiday scents in August. Christmas tree scents are the most popular, he says.

Although his candles have a long shelf life, he doesn’t keep a large inventory. He fills orders as they’re placed.

Finding a unique gift is as easy as walking into a unique store, says Minda Woith, co-owner of Shine, 6730 Broadcast Parkway, Loves Park. She carries the largest selection of genuine Polish pottery in our region, plus jewelry, healing crystals, stones, essential oils, incense, books, cards, kitchen accessories, organic and eco-friendly soaps, bamboo textiles and more.

“People have to make the effort to shop local,” says Woith. “Once they do, they find all kinds of interesting things. We have a lot of repeat customers and it’s just a matter of getting the word out that we’re here.” ❚