2 minute read
Shop Local
To:
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Make a difference this holiday season, To:
emember the joy of going from store to store to find that perfect gift? Somehow many of us have gotten caught up in the supposed convenience of shopping for the lowest price at some mega-store or on their website. But have you ever had to take or send something back that did not fit… or didn’t work… or maybe just disappeared and never arrived?
Shopping local is the way to go.
These days, local businesses need the boost from the local community to keep up their mojo. Our local businesses are looking forward to selling their wares to “their people”! Get up and go to a locally owned and operated store or business that has real live people providing real live service. Local businesses where you can try on or turn on or try out their products and then take them back to return or replace without having to wait forever for your refund.
And, if you prefer to shop on the Internet, many of our locally owned and operated businesses have websites. This provides the opportunity to deal both online and in-person with people who are your neighbors and live in your community. To: Each day we see and hear the ever-present ads of national chains but we don’t hear and see the many important values independent locally owned businesses provide us both as an individual and as a community. New “big box” retailers that replace locally owned businesses often create economic costs exceeding benefits: the loss of existing jobs and the cost of an increased infrastructure To: being the top two.
When asked to name our favorite restaurant, cafe, or shop, we almost always cite a unique local business. We say we embrace the idea of distinctive businesses with local character, but then often forget their survival depends on our patronage.
Some corporate chains give back to areas in which they do business, but those who raise funds for local non-profits can tell you that locally owned businesses provide most of their support. Not all local businesses are perfect, and “big box” retailers are not bad, but the overall impact is obvious: local businesses play a vital role in our community that corporate chains seldom do.
