In recent years, a movement has begun. It’s a movement that takes consumers away from large, impersonal retailers and introduces them to the people doing business in their very own cities. These are local farmers, craftsmen, antiques dealers, and other product providers, with items made locally and sold on a small scale.
When a consumer supports local business owners, he/she enjoys benefits they can’t possibly get from shopping at national chains. Here are some top reasons to support your local entrepreneurs.
1. Improve the local economy
When a consumer buys local, significantly more of that money stays in the community. Local business owners often have incentive to support other local businesses, patronizing local establishments for both business and personal reasons. Chain businesses, on the other hand, tend to get their supplies from corporate, as well as having store managers and employees that aren’t as personally invested in buying local.
2. Know the people behind the product
When you personally know the people behind the business where you’re buying local products and services, you enjoy a connection you would not otherwise have. Along with the rest of the community, you celebrate when a favorite local business succeeds, and you mourn when it’s forced to shut its doors. This personal investment isn’t quite as present when a chain business closes, aside from feeling disappointment that you have fewer businesses within convenient driving distance.
3. Personalized service
Having the owner nearby also means that owner personally knows his/her customers. They know the products you buy or the services you request on a regular basis and can tailor services to make your experience even better. A local gardening shop owner may learn about a new product on the market that can help you with a pest control problem you mentioned on one of your visits, for instance, and can order that product as part of their selections.
There are numerous reasons to purchase local goods and services. It is environmentally friendly, promotes economic growth, reduces our dependence on other countries, creates jobs and beyond the economic benefits, it is a way of expressing national pride.
The Lupiya Team
