24
Locally Owned
Week of October 25 – October 31, 2019
2020
We Have What You Want by Megin Potter
B
uying local works. The research is in. Buying local gives you the shopping experience you want while enriching the lives of the people you know.
Big retailers are scrambling, trying to cash in on consumer buying preferences by looking local. Shop the shelves. You’ll see big corporations using names like “Farmers' Market” printed in rustic fonts on revised labels made to look like what you’d actually find from small local producers. There’s no need to settle for looking local. Get what you want. Buy Local. Here are 10 reasons why:
1. Personalized Shopping Experience
3. Building Your Network
When you frequent a local shop, they know your name and what you like. They also know their products.
Businesses thrive on word-of-mouth marketing.
Most importantly, at local shops they listen. Their livelihood depends on them being good listeners. They can quickly tell you why one item is better for you than another and ensure that you are getting what you want.
2. Friends When you buy from your neighbors, they become your friends. They get to know you a little bit more each time you go into their store. They will often tell you a funny joke, an interesting story, or share the latest gossip. Because of you, they get to make a sale and for each one, they do a little happy dance because you’ve helped them send their kid to college or helped to pay for their aging parent’s healthcare.
Buying local gives you the chance to spread the word about what you do while you’re doing something else. When you’re at a restaurant, you can mention the amazing cakes you make. When you’re buying a gift, you can hand out your card leading them to your Instagram page. The possibilities are endless and the rewards are plentiful.
4. Paying it Forward Parks, roads, and other community improvements are funded by taxes. When you buy local, that money is paid in the form of taxes and used to build all the things you want to enjoy in your neighborhood in the future.
