traffic than traditional “Main Street” style
shopping areas.
2
€
Work Local = Give Local |
Local
businesses support their communities in
a big way. Businesses with fewer than
100 employees give up to 250% more
per employee in cash donations and
in-kind services to local nonprofits than
their big box counterparts.
3
€
Small Firms, Big Job Gains |
According to the Small Business
Administration, small companies with
fewer than 500 employees created
64% of all new jobs in the past several
years and account for close to half of all
private sector employment.
4
€
Home Town Service |
Shopper
interviews show that consumers
really appreciate the friendly personal
service from locally-owned shops and
businesses, compared to the mass
market mentality of the big retailers.
5
S
hopping and buying close to home
makes a profound impact on the
local economy, the environment and
everyone in the community.
In an established city or tiny town, business
alliances created to support locally-owned
enterprises have shown to have a positive
impact on the community. Consider a coupon
book featuring offers from a coalition of
local businesses. Or, join forces for a print ad
campaign, touting the benefits of sourcing
products and services locally.
Here are some of the best reasons it pays to
stay local:
€
Keep Bucks Circulating Locally |
Local
retailers return a total of 52% of their
revenue to the local economy compared
to 14% of national chain retailers.
1
€
Reduce Traffic and Congestion |
Those
big box grocery/general merchandise
stores generate up to 42% more vehicle
1
Civic Economics,
Indie Impact Study Series
, Salt Lake City, Utah,
August 2012
2
Georgiena M. Vivian,
ITE Journal, Trip Generation Characteristics of
Free-Standing Discount Superstores
, August 2006
3
SustainableConnections.org,
Why Buy Locally Owned?
2010
4
Small Business Administration, Frequently Asked Questions, sba.gov
5
Michael E. Kanell,
The Atlanta Journal Constitution
,
Big Box Stores Get
Bigger, Richer
, November 2011
6
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance,
Top 10 Reasons to Support Locally
Owned Businesses
, December 2012
7
The Sierra Club,
How Big Box Stores Like Wal-mart Effect the Environment
and Communities
, 2012
12
WhyWe
Local
€
More Jobs, Better Pay |
Compared
to national conglomerates, locally-
owned companies create more jobs,
and in many cases, provide higher
pay and better wages to people in
the community.
6
€
A Softer Footprint |
Compared to
the typical 18-acre site of a big box
store, local businesses generally take
up less space and are located more
centrally, meaning less sprawl, water
pollution and destruction of wetlands
and wildlife habitat.
7
