Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!

Top Ten reasons to Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local

http://sustainableconnections.org/thinklocal/why

Buy Local -- Support yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from a local business rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money stays and is circulated through the local community.                                                                                                                          

Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.

Keep our community unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.  “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust

Reduce environmental impact: Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases, which means less transportation, less habitat loss and pollution, reducing your  carbon footprint

Create more good jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally.

Get better service: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers. 

Invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.

Put your taxes to good use: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.

Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. 

Encourage local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.