Shopping Local: Some Things You Should Know

        By Sandra Olmsted

So, you need one more last-minute gift; sure, you could run to the internet, find a mass-produced whatever, pay a fortune for delivery, and say your prayers for its timely arrival. Meanwhile, down the street and around the corner or over the river and through the woods is a local retailer with gifts and merchandise ready to be purchased. Those retailers and their employees are happy to provide customer service and assistance in selecting and even wrapping that gift. Also, a local shop is run by a person from your community who follows their hearts and interests in selecting their merchandise. They also do not see customers as sales statistics; local business owners see customers as neighbors and individuals with connections to the business owners, their staff, and their communities.

Sure, shopping locally is environmentally friendlier than driving miles to the mall or even having gifts shipped across the country and delivered to your doorstep. Also, local shops’ selections of goods are usually a little eclectic because they aren’t locked into a national sales plan. When you want something different, special, or unusual, and if you have an open mind, shopping locally is the best way to find special gifts. Shopping locally leads to finding an eclectic gift without having to fret about delivery before the big day.

Now, why don’t you ask, “What are the other benefits of shopping locally that aren’t just about the shoppers and holiday gifts?” Besides nurturing the local economy, buying locally supports the small businesses that are the largest employers nationally and that create two out of every three new jobs. Buying local means stable employment and more opportunities for locals to work in the community, which builds community connections and reduces the carbon footprint of the shoppers and workers. Approximately 75% of the money spent locally at locally owned businesses stays in the community

All those unique gifts at those unique shops owned by committed businesses contribute to the unique character of communitiesWhen you shop locally, you reduce the amount of transportation needed to get goods and customers together, leading to less fuel consumption

.The net fiscal impacts on communities are measured in the differences between costs and revenues generated per businesses’ square footage, which require or contribute to the public infrastructure, including roads, schools, and police departments. Of the types of nonresidential land use that generate revenues and deficits, local and specialty retail businesses generated the best net fiscal result, representing lower average net costs incurred by the taxpayers.

Locally owned businesses account for 4 times the donations to local charities than their nationally-owned competitors, even ones in the same communities, and 91% of local business owners contribute to their communities’ schools, non-profits, and community groups by volunteering and making donations. In short, local business owners invest in the community because they have a vested interest in the future of the community

All these benefits mean that by shopping locally, you help create jobs for your friends and neighbors, contribute to improved public infrastructure, and invest both socially, environmentally, and economically in your own community.

(Thanks to Robinson, Nandi, and Rex L. LaMore. “Why Buy Local?” Michigan State University Center for Community and Economic Development, Michigan State University,

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