Buy Local

I’ve previously written about the local economic benefits of buying from locally owned business establishments. I’ve also encouraged people to check out the Council Of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) I Buy Neo program which provides incentives to buy locally.

Kim Crow, in today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer, introduced me to another national program called the 350 project which suggests that you stop into your favourite three locally owned stores, and that you spend no less than $50 per month at locally owned and operated businesses.

In her column Kim says that if half of the 1.3 million people employed in North East Ohio were to spend $50 a month with local businesses, our communities would benefit from about $22.1 million each year! Quite frankly, I can’t imagine anyone not spending at least $50 a month at local businesses. My wife and I do our grocery shopping exclusively at Heinens, a locally owned and run chain of food stores and I regularly make purchases at local Ingersoll Hardware – in addition to other local retail stores and private restaurants.

What are you doing to support your independent locally owned establishments?

Will Limkemann
www.siqualtd.com