Buy Local?

I’ve written about buying local before, but this photo showed up again on facebook, and it stirred my desire to talk about the impact of buying local can have on the economy.

We have come full circle in our economy from an age when everything was local – local grocer, butcher, baker… etc to the economy of the big box stores that are national chains… and we are swinging back to a desire to buy what is locally grown, locally prepared, locally made.  And that is a good thing.  I think we are beginning to understand that when our dollars stay in our community so do the jobs, and the benefits of the commerce.

For full disclosure i must admit that i want things to be local because Steve and I are a local business, and the revenue we generate supports us, pays our local bills, and gets spent on local groceries, utilities, etc.

A number of communities have done studies about where the money goes, and the following graph is one such study.  Interesting to not is how different each pie chart is in terms of the revenue impacting the local economy.  This might explain why so many people bristle at the Walmarts of this world because they know that proportionately lower amounts of income remain local and impact the local economy.

Buying Local is a choice.  It is a decision to invest in our region, our local businesses, shops, artisans, farmers, suppliers.  And it has a long term benefit of improving the economy by improving income that will open up new jobs, and build the economy again. It all starts with how we choose to spend our money.   And the impact can make all the difference of whether or not our region begins growing again!

Come on Northeastern Ohio, lets focus local, buy local!!!  We can do it!  We can turn the tide on this rugged economy and breath new life into this “Greatest Location in the Nation!”