In
a scene from the hit film, You've Got Mail, the character played by Tom
Hanks attempts to justify his corporate bookstore chain's expansion
which resulted in the closing of a smaller neighborhood shop. According
to Tom: "It's not personal, it's just business..."
Meg Ryan's comeback is classic:
"It's personal to me. It's personal to a lot of people. And what's so wrong with being personal anyway? Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal..."
Locally-owned businesses start with being personal.
The shop owners and employees are your friends and neighbors. They know
your name. They know your dog's name. They know the names of your
children AND their birthdays.
They
know the products you like, in the colors and sizes you want, and they
stock them just for you. If they don't have it, they special order it.
If they do have it but you can't get it just yet, they hold it for you.
Not
only do locally-owned businesses give a community its unique
personality but research shows that the presence of mom-and-pop shops
helps to raise property values. And they support the community in a
myriad of other ways. Did you know:
- A locally-owned shop returns 68% of its revenues to the local economy, whereas a national chain returns only 43%?
- Locally-owned shops employ more local residents and pay them substantially higher wages, in addition to having a broader range of jobs available?
- Local businesses buy more than twice as much from other local businesses, and also are more likely to use local banks and other service providers?
- Local businesses contribute more to the community through charitable giving, school funding, and other non-profit organizations?
Small Business Saturday
The 3/50 Project
Independent We Stand
Not
only are you much more likely to discover some unexpected wonder or
unique handmade treasure at an independent small business, but every
dollar spent in a locally-owned shop is a vote for the health and
welfare of your community.
