Love Your Local
Valerie Heath$0.70 of every dollar spent in a local business stays in the community, while only $0.20 of every dollar spent at a chain store stays local.
A study done in Grand Rapids concluded if everyone in the community made a 10% shift in purchasing to independent businesses as opposed to chain stores it would lead to 1,600 new jobs and a $137 million economic impact.
Local businesses are more likely to support the arts and promote local artists and authors.
Small businesses generate more jobs for young workers, older workers and women.
A local business will give you more personalized service. It will appreciate you and you'll probably end up seeing savings in the long run.
So, say you spend $100 a week on personal goods...if you shift $10 of that $100 to buying local, you can make an impact. Visit the local coffee shop or the local grocer. Instead of going to Lowe's again, find your mom-and-pop hardware store - I guarantee you'll find someone with great advice for your next house project! Head to Mt. Clemens and have dinner at Little Lorraine's or Bath City Bistro instead of Olive Garden or Applebees. And, if you do have to go to a massive retailer, spend 5 minutes learning how Target, Wal-Mart or Meijer give back to your community.
Same goes for your insurance carrier. I recently switched all my insurance from Geico to a company called GCW Insurance (client) in Macomb, MI. They've been an independent insurance company for over 30 years. I get BETTER rates and have a real, live person to talk to (or email) whenever I have a question.
I promise I'm not preaching. I'm just encouraging you. It feels really good to know I do my part, every single day, to help keep Michigan and its businesses alive and fruitful. I don't want to see any more hard-working people lose their businesses, nor do I want to drive by another ugly abandoned shopping center. And, I want my kid to grow up with other kids in our neighborhood - and that will only happen if people can maintain a great lifestyle here in Michigan. So challenge yourself - frequent one local establishment a day and spend a few bucks!
Here are a few resources I use. Have fun!
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Michigan Door to Door Organics
p.s. I stole all these stats from this article.