There are many advantages to shopping locally. Without locally owned stores, the money we spend on everyday purchases is taken out of the area, with very little return on our investment. My small home town is a perfect example of how supporting local merchants, even local franchise owners, can greatly stimulate a local economy and benefit a town’s residents.
The surrounding towns that have smaller locally owned business all fare better than the small local towns that have only a corporate box store. Local business owners are invested in their communities, and devoted to supporting their customer. Many if not most, of these local businessmen are well known members of the communities they serve, and are highly involved in their communities both politically and economically. The absence of such an involvement can be seen in a lack of community pride, and a lack of infrastructure. The small towns that did not keep a good central merchant’s group are the ones that seem to have declined the most in recent decades.
Of great importance in maintaining a small community is the historic district. Many cities and towns in the United States have realized the great potential of restoring the old historic downtown into a cultural center. This attracts visitors and new residents alike. No one wants to see their old town become a bombed out ghetto of derelict, empty, storefronts. The heavy, depressing air of a boarded up downtown can have a negative effect on a town, if just from the perception of the place. Restoring these old districts has been shown to have many great benefits for towns and cities alike.
Statistics: For every 100.00 spent locally, 68.00 returns to the local economy. Every 100.00 spent in a national chain return 48.00.
If half the employed population spent 50.00 each month in local independent businesses, it would generate 42.6 billion in revenue.
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Buying locally is what keeps our communities alive. This is not just some sales pitch.
There is a perceived higher cost to buying locally. In part this is because national chains can use overseas production and bulk sales to offset costs of selling. They can out undersell a local business, but is the quality any better, for being less expensive? Also, unlike specialized local shops, a big box store can sell a little bit of everything. They become the one stop shop, saving the consumer on time and gas money. The economic decline of many downtowns only adds to customer perception that the big store is the way to go. This perception adds to further decline, and so on.
A simple google search paints an even more detailed picture:
The US imports 2.2 trillion in goods from over 150 countries.
Our country was once a center for manufacturing. Many small towns have old facilities that stand empty from the days when the local economy was able to produce many if not most of its products right in the local town. My hometown once had a place for making washing machines, and there were separate facilities for packaging and manufacturing most aspects of these mnachines. Every one of these factories is now closed, with only one or two still producing other things. When these jobs go overseas, they are replaced by lower paying jobs. Statistically, these jobs are in the national retail stores, which pay less money, offer few health insurance benefits, and return less money to the local economy. How much has America lost by giving up its manufacturing base in favor of imports?