Making Ripples
Shop Indie Local this Holiday Season (and all the time!)
By Tony Zeli
Shop Indie Local is a campaign of the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) that works to increase spending at locally owned businesses. The theory goes that the simple act of buying local goods and services creates ripple effects that positively impact our neighborhoods. All it takes is to spend more of your dollars with locally owned, independent businesses.
“When we Shop Indie Local as a community, we boost independent businesses’ revenue and their ability to hire more staff,” says Jen Risely of AMIBA. “Those local business owners then have more time and resources to give back to their local community – by volunteering their talents, donating to nonprofits, and carrying out more practices that benefit their neighbors and their neighborhood.”
Building Local Economy & Community
By some estimates, every dollar spent at a locally owned, independent business returns two to four times more dollars back into a community than a dollar spent at a non-local business. These dollars are recirculated through the local economy, building more local jobs and community wealth.
Also, shopping locally means connecting with the community. Not only is it an opportunity to enjoy lively streets, bump into friends, or learn some neighborhood news, but the studies show that places with more local businesses have stronger social ties and higher civic participation rates.
Additionally, when you shop locally you strengthen the local economy. Local businesses hire local workers and source local goods. As such, when you shop locally you expand local economic opportunity. And by supporting local entrepreneurs, you invest in a more vibrant future for the community. More small businesses mean a greater variety of goods and services, more walkable streets, and a more vibrant city life.
So, join WEN and all of our locally owned, independent advertisers in shopping local this holiday season.
Tony Zeli is publisher and editor. WEN is a Shop Indie Local Holiday Campaign partner.
