As you prepare those lists for holiday gift-giving we here at SusanvilleStuff would like to remind you to ‘Think Local’ as you choose where to make those Christmas purchases.
Thinking local works to ensure that economic power resides locally, sustaining healthy community life as well as long-term economic prosperity all throughout the year.
The benefits of shopping right here at home include; a more vibrant, unique, healthy and happy community; resilient, diverse local economies; food and energy security; stable jobs and skill building; waste reduction; new business opportunities; and improved competitive advantages to attract visitors.
10 Reasons to support locally-owned, independent businesses this holiday season.
1. Keep our community unique. Where we shop, where we eat, and where we recreate and have fun—all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place.
2. Save Money. A marketplace of hundreds of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long term.
3. Non-Profits and Community Groups receive greater support. Non-profit organizations and community groups receive three times greater support from smaller locally-owned businesses than they do from large businesses.
4. Create new and more stable jobs. Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and provide the most new jobs. Local businesses also create more stable employment.
5. Reduce environmental impact. Save gas by shopping locally. Shopping in town centers reduces sprawl, congestion, habitat loss, and pollution. Locally owned businesses make more local purchases, requiring less transportation of goods.
6. More money re-circulates in the local community. A dollar spent in an independent locally-owned store is usually spent 6 to 15 times before it leaves the community. These dollars are used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms, continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.
7. Encourage local investment. Local businesses are owned by community members who are likely to remain and continue investing in the community’s future.
8. Support local government. Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services.
9. Give businesses a reason to relocate here. Economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.
10. Have more choices and buy what you want. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based on their own interests and the needs of local customers, guarantees a broader range of product choices.