WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ‘SHOP LOCAL’

BY MOLLY OVENDEN

Shopping locally has a profoundly positive impact on the local area. It is a literal investment into one’s own local community. According to a study done by Local First in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2008, 68 cents from every dollar spent in a local small business goes back into the local community. This effect, the majority of local small business revenue being reinvested in local communities has noticeably continued into recent years.

Small Business Saturday

When American Express launched Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, to reinvigorate local small businesses suffering from the recession, the Greater Downtown Council (GDC) in Duluth came on board in year two of the November event.

Darlene Marshall, event coordinator emeritus with the Greater Downtown Council, worked with them from 2007 until her official retirement in January 2021. Marshall worked downtown with small businesses as a Neighborhood Champion in Duluth for Small Business Saturday. The Greater Downtown Council has rallied local support and educated residents and consumers through roving reporter radio interviews and ads for the event. Local shop participants in Duluth have been thankful for the promotion and support. Whether a small Duluth business donates something to Bentleyville or sponsors a neighborhood little league team, “everybody is working toward a thriving community, a thriving neighborhood,” Marshall said.

Marshall worked downtown with small businesses as a Neighborhood Champion in Duluth for Small Business Saturday. The Greater Downtown Council has rallied local support and educated residents and consumers through roving reporter radio interviews and ads for the event. Local shop participants in Duluth have been thankful for the promotion and support. Whether a small Duluth business donates something to Bentleyville or sponsors a neighborhood little league team, “everybody is working toward a thriving community, a thriving neighborhood,” Marshall said.

Shop Local

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Marshall worked downtown with small businesses as a Neighborhood Champion in Duluth for Small Business Saturday. The Greater Downtown Council has rallied local support and educated residents and consumers through roving reporter radio interviews and ads for the event. Local shop participants in Duluth have been thankful for the promotion and support.

Whether a small Duluth business donates something to Bentleyville or sponsors a neighborhood little league team, “everybody is working toward a thriving community, a thriving neighborhood,”

Marshall said.

Small business owners live in the community their business impacts.

Marshall has seen this firsthand. Her husband’s family has owned a business in Duluth since 1938.

Experiencing small business life firsthand solidified her desire to be the GDC events coordinator.

“I know how important it is for people to keep walking through the front door,” Marshall said.

Shopping In Person Versus Online

While many local businesses have pivoted and thrived in the online world during the pandemic, shopping online doesn’t have to be the only way.

Shopping in person, especially during the holiday season, can improve the consumer’s entire experience.

“You’re getting personalized service,” Marshall said. While in-person shopping can save on resources, energy, and time getting rid of packaging materials from online deliveries, that’s not the only benefit. If there are problems with the delivery, resolving issues is generally more efficient with a small business than a large, out-of-state establishment.

Shopping in person also means you can see the available stock with your own eyes.

“You can touch it. You can feel it,” said Marshall, with hand sanitizer, of course.

Shopping in person at a local establishment means that you’re talking to your neighbor — you’re actually making eye contact. Your children are in the same class, you park next to each other at the football game, you pass each other on the way to work.

“You’re talking to a fellow community member,” Marshall said. That connection is special. Why shop local? Marshall said, “This is our home.”

Molly Ovenden is a Duluth freelance writer.