Support Your Local Small Business!

Do you support local businesses?  I have written before at my displeasure at seeing small businesses fail while big national chains are crowding them out.  I see that someone else feels the same way.  Cathy Severson at Retirement Life Matters has started a campaign of sorts to support small local businesses. I love her enthusiasm and I agree. Cathy suggests that we all find a small business to support each day.

The economy in our town doesn’t look too bad, but it certainly isn’t great. I can think of a number of good local businesses that need help. Let’s see… I have a couple of quilt shops I can help. And there’s a little wine shop I haven’t visited for a while. Unfortunately, we don’t have a local bookstore, so I’ll have to make do with the local family restaurant.  I support the local computer store because they have helped me several times with computer problems, and I didn’t have to stand in line for non-help at the big national chain.

Why support small businesses?

1.  They support us. Small businesses donate to community causes and they support other small businesses.  The local quilt shop, for example, did a lot for the community after our major floods last summer.  You don’t see the large national fabric stores doing that.  It’s not on their radar screen.

2.  They provide better customer service. I have found that local businesses are better at providing customer service.  It’s difficult to treat a neighbor, someone you know, rudely.  Especially if you know that this person knows a lot of other people in the community and people who aren’t treated well will tell everyone.  Big stores don’t care; they work on volume and mistreating one customer doesn’t really matter to them, because they have lots more who will keep coming back for the low prices.

2.  They spend money in the community and feature local products. A local restaurant, for example, will buy from a local market and local food distributors.  Big chain restaurants have their food shipped in from who-knows-where.  A wine shop here in town specializes in wines from local wineries.  And they are great!

Yes, sometimes local merchants are a little more expensive.  But not that much.  And I figure the benefit to the community as a whole, and the excellent customer service, makes up for the slight price difference. From local furniture stores to the local muffler/oil change shop, I look for local merchants whenever I can.  How about you?

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