12/14/2022
Shop Local
I have copied parts of an article dated Dec 12, 2022 published by the Missourian Editorial Board. It is really worth reading.
"Itâs never a bad time to remind people to shop locally, but with two weeks to go until Christmas, this is an opportune time to ring the bell for local merchants.
The holidays are all about giving. The best gift you can give local businesses is your support especially at this time of the year. Many smaller independent businesses derive up to 40 percent of their annual sales during the holiday shopping season. This is make or break time for them.
With that in mind, and with trucks zipping along our streets delivering boxes from online stores, itâs a good time to remind everyone just how valuable local stores are to our communities.
In many ways, small businesses are the glue that holds our communities together. To be sure, they are the backbone of our local economyâŚ.
For every $1 spent in a local business, experts say 67 cents of it stays local. That money not only creates jobs and helps pay salaries for workers and business owners, it adds to the quality of life in so many ways. A chain store recirculates only around 14 percent back to the local community. For online retail, the return to the local economy barely registers in cash registers â it is miniscule.
As consumers, we donât often consider this. But we should. If you care about the vitality of our local economy, shop local. Our nationâs more than 30 million small businesses are a key part of the U.S. economy, employing nearly half the private-sector workforce and creating two-thirds of all net new jobs in America, according to the U.S. Department of CommerceâŚ.
Small businesses set our communities apart. They help define and sustain our neighborhoods. You can find the same big-box retailers and chain restaurants in many cities throughout the state. We donât begrudge them, we appreciate what they add to our retail base. But itâs the small businesses that give our communities character, personality and diversity. They provide the spice.
Plus, they are owned by and employ local people who typically work harder to provide exceptional customer service and a superior shopping experience. They donât have a choice if they want to compete against the big guys in a hyper-competitive retail environmentâŚ.
You can get everything you need right here at home from people who are invested in our community and who care about its future. These businesses drive our local economy. Please consider that before you go online or travel elsewhere to do your shopping over the next two weeks.
As the countdown to Christmas gets underway, please remember to shop local."