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