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ARE YOU A LOCAL?
In these tough economic times, people are
watching every penny and looking for the lowest price. While box stores and
chain restaurants may look like they are offering the best value, how does
this impact us and our community in the long run? When you shop at an
independently owned business, your entire community benefits. Here are
some reasons to Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local:
♦Buy Local - Support Yourself: Studies have shown that when you buy
from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned
business, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from
other local businesses, service providers and farms ---continuing to
strengthen the economic base of the community.
♦Support Community Groups: Non-profit organizations receive more
than double the support from small business owners than they do from large
businesses.
♦Keep Your Community Unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have
fun - all of it makes our community home. Unique businesses are an integral
part of the distinctive character of a place. Tourism businesses also
benefit from this. When people go on vacation they typically seek
destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace unique.
♦Get Better Service: Local businesses often hire people with a
better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to
get to know customers.
♦Invest in Community: Local businesses are owned by people who live
in the community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the
community's future.
♦Encourage Local Prosperity: Economic research shows that
entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in
communities that preserve their unique businesses and distinctive character.
Think local first + Buy local when you can =
Being a local
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