SHOPPING

TOP TEN REASONS TO SHOP LOCAL

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1. Locally owned one-of-a-kind businesses have character! They add to the unique charm of our community.

2. Small local businesses build strong communities by encouraging neighborhood relationships, both social and economic. Area businesses give back to local causes and help to support vibrant town centers.

3. Local ownership means decisions are being made locally by people who live in the community and who are directly impacted by those decisions.

4. Keeping your money local enriches the whole community. Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much larger percentage of their revenue back into the local economy.

5. Local businesses mean local jobs! In some sectors, local businesses provide better wages and benefits that chains do.

6. Economic innovations and prosperity are fueled by entrepreneurship. Local businesses provide opportunities for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class.

7. Local stores have small footprints. Compared to big box stores and shopping malls, neighborhood shops make efficient use of public services and require less infrastructure.

8. Town centers that feature locally owned businesses help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable communities, which reduces sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution.

9. A competitive local marketplace is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices.

10. Local business ownership guarantees a broader range of product choices – small businesses hand-select their products based on their own interests, and the needs and preferences of their local customers.