Why You Should Buy Local!

Each year around this time we like to remind people to shop at your local
stores. The large stores and malls have enormous visibility in the press and
I believe we all forget to think about the special things your local stores
can offer. With the economy still in question I ask you to please read the
following 10 items and shop where your home is! Happy Holidays.

1. Buying local supports you and your family. When you buy from an
independent, locally owned business, significantly more of your buying
dollar stays in the community and is used to make purchases from other local
businesses, like local service providers which helps strengthen the economic

base of your hometown.

2. When you buy from local businesses, you're supporting local nonprofits.
Studies show that small business owners give an average of 250 percent more

dollars in donations to local nonprofits than do large businesses.

3. Buying local keeps your community unique. Where we shop, where we eat and
have fun - all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind local
businesses give a distinctive character to a place, and add to quality of
life; they also bring in more tourist dollars. "When people go on vacation
they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being
someplace, not just any place," says National Trust for Historic

Preservation President Richard Moe.

4. Reduce your environmental impact. Locally owned businesses make more
local purchases, which means less wasted fossil fuel for deliveries from
afar. Also, when you shop in town or city centers, your purchases contribute

less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss, and pollution.

5. Local business creates more good jobs. Small, local businesses are the
largest employers nationally, and the jobs they offer create stronger links

to our communities.

6. When you buy local, you invest in community. Local businesses are owned
by your neighbors, people who live in your town, who are less likely to
leave, and who - like you - are more invested in the community's future.
Local businesses provide very important community allies in tough economic

times.

7. You get better service locally. Local businesses often hire people with a
better understanding of the products they sell, and take more time to get to
know customers. If a product causes problems, the local business is more

likely to respond to your concerns in a personal way.

8. Buying local puts your taxes to good use. Local businesses, particularly
those in town centers, require little public infrastructure investment, as
compared to nationally owned chains built at the edge of town with taxpayer

money for improved roads, water and sewer service.

9. You can buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy. A multitude
of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales
plan but on the needs and requests of local customers, assure a

buyer-friendly range of product choices.

10. Buying local encourages local prosperity. A growing body of 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 hometown character.
This list was compiled through information from the American Independent
Business Alliance.