What does it mean to “Shop Local?”

Following is one of two information sheets distributed to those in attendance at the New Albany First meeting last Wednesday at Wick's. The other is here. I'm attributing authorship to Randy, Ann and Andy, unless otherwise advised.

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Shopping Local is not the same as Shopping Locally

Shopping local is not the same thing as shopping locally. Corporate chains would like us to think they are are the same as we are (only better). We’ve all seen it. They have launched marketing campaigns to blur the distinction between them and locally owned independent businesses. If that is all “Shop Local” means, we might as well call it “Shop Locale.”

This tactic by the chains and megastores is properly called “local-washing.” It’s an attempt to blunt the impact of campaigns by locally owned independent businesses by laundering the corporate tarnish and pretending that there’s no difference between mom-and-pops and the corporate giants. A corporate-oriented buy-local campaign that defines “local” as the nearest Home Depot or Gap store is a skeezy move but the tactic can be effective unless and until we ask
“What do you mean by ‘local’?”

A local independent is an establishment that is:

• Owned privately or by its employees or a community cooperative

• At least 50% owned by area resident(s)

• Retains full decision-making authority with its local owners/members

• Limited to a small number of locations, all within a single region

There are other ways to define the membership and objectives of our organization, should we form one, but these provide a solid starting point.

Why should anyone bother to “shop local?”

Alliances like the one we’re discussing are, all over the country, “making the case that [shopping local] is critical to rebuilding middle-class prosperity, averting environmental collapse, and ensuring that our daily lives are not smothered by corporate uniformity.”

Making that case in New Albany means we all have to know why shopping local is important – not just to us, but to every member of our community.

Reasons to shop local:

• Local economic stimulus – When we purchase at locally owned businesses rather than nationally owned, more money is kept in the community because locally owned businesses often purchase from other local businesses, service providers, and farms. Purchasing local helps grow other businesses as well as the local tax base.

• Non-profits receive greater support – Local business owners donate more to local charities than non-local owners, who naturally donate where they live or to non-local charities.

• Unique businesses create character and prosperity – The unique character of our community is defined in large part by the businesses that choose to locate here, and that plays a big part in our overall satisfaction with the place we live and the value of our homes and property.

• Environmental impact is reduced – Small local businesses usually set up shop in the existing urban core, the town’s center, providing a centralized variety of shopping alternatives that is more organic than it is manufactured. That contributes to such quality-of-life measures as our city’s “walk score” and other metrics, especially when compared to shopping malls in other cities. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss, and pollution. And it also takes advantage of the already-built environment.

• Most new jobs are provided by local businesses – Small local businesses are the largest employers nationally. The more jobs we have in our local community, the fewer of our residents who are going to have to commute. That means more time and less traffic and pollution.

• Customer service is better – Local businesses often hire people with more specific product expertise, yielding better customer service. These individuals who live in your community are far less likely to take you for granted or fail to deliver for you.

• Local business owners invest in community – Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave or be transferred, and are more invested in the welfare and future of this community. For many, the bulk of their life’s savings are invested right here.

• Public benefits far outweigh public costs – Local businesses require comparatively little infrastructure and they more efficiently utilize public services relative to chain stores.

• Competition and diversity leads to more consumer choices – A marketplace of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long term.

• You matter more – We talk often about exerting influence with our purchasing choices – voting with our wallets. It’s a fact that businesses respond to their customers, but our values and desires are much more likely to be catered to by our local community businesses when compared to a nationalized common denominator of values and desires.

"Is it too late?"


You’re reading this right now because you know it’s not too late. The coming decades are going to be as revolutionary as the past five and no one is more suited to adapt than the locally owned independent business. What we’ve lost we can regain. Think about it this way: Did you grow up at a time when wearing a seat-belt was optional? Can you imagine putting your child or grandchild into the car without first buckling them in and then buckling up yourself?

We’ve learned from the past that seat-belts save lives. We’ve also learned that life is not so sweet when our culture tends to a bland, uniform “monoculture.” The locally owned independent business is leading the way to a better future and you’ve made yourself a part of the vanguard.

All that remains is to recognize that and join together to make that future possible.