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BUYING LOCAL CREATES AREA JOBS
Similar results were discovered in a variety of cities, indicating that buying local not only benefits local business owners but also the communities those owners and their customers call home. “About 80 cents of every dollar spent locally stays local, supporting everything in our community that we all hold important and dear — from sports and music programs, to better roads, first responder services, medical facilities, libraries and education,” said Marc Abshire, executive director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce. “The opposite is true, of course: 100 percent of every dollar spent online or in another community, state or country will stay exactly out there and result in zero benefit to Port Angeles. “Every time you make a retail purchase, somebody benefits. Wouldn’t it be better to spend your dollars in ways that benefit your own community, not just because it feels better but because your purchase means you are also benefiting your own community”
One of the biggest ways local business owners recirculated their revenue in the local economy is job creation. While national chains also create jobs, such jobs only benefit a community if the chains are located within your community. If a mall or shopping center is a considerable drive away, chances are the chains within the mall or center are not employing your fellow community members. Local businesses in your community are more likely to employ residents of your town. “Your local businesses are owned and managed by your neighbors — people who share and enjoy your community with you in many ways,” Abshire said. “Let’s all support ourselves and our neighbors by shopping local.”
SHOPPING LOCAL MAY PROVIDE ACCESS TO MORE UNIQUE GIFTS In addition to the economic benefits of buying local, shoppers might find that merchandise made by local
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craftsmen is more unique than massproduced items found on the shelves of national retailers. “Port Townsend has holiday shopping covered. There are thousands of great gifts available in the historic districts — uptown and downtown,” said Mari F. Mullen, executive director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program. “Individually owned businesses offer the personal touch and are a welcome contrast to anonymous malls or online buying. Gifts purchased from destination stores, restaurant gift certificates, movie passes, theater tickets, nonprofit event tickets and local artwork are examples of thoughtful gifts loved ones will remember long after the holidays.” Recipients may cherish more unique items that they cannot find on their own, and that appreciation might even spur them to visit more local retailers after the holiday season has come and gone, benefiting their own communities. “We are encouraging customers and merchants to post pictures of locally purchased gifts on social media using
the hashtag #FoundInTown. Details on holiday events at ptmainstreet.org,” Mullen said. “The holiday season is one of the most important times of the year for local merchants so they can finish out the year on a successful note.”
LOCAL BUSINESSES MAY PROVIDE A MORE PERSONAL TOUCH THAN BIG CHAIN STORES
Buying from national chains has its advantages, but customer service is not always one of them. Should your loved ones encounter problems with their gift that require assistance, they might be forced to wait on the phone for extended periods as they and thousands of others wait for customer service representatives to answer their calls. Local businesses do not deal with nearly the volume of customers as national retailers and, therefore, are capable of addressing concerns more quickly and personally than large chains. Buying local not only benefits small business owners, but also pays dividends for their customers and the communities they call home.
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