We’ve been making the case to #ShopMV in this space for years, reminding our neighbors that when you eat, shop or use a local service, you are investing in our local economy. Business taxes fuel our increasingly challenged city budgets. Local business owners and managers donate generously to our schools and keep us safe.
But while we’ll keep making that case, it’s always nice to know when the data is on your side.
“When you buy local, your money does much more for your community than it does when you shop at national chains,” reports the New York Times‘ Wirecutter section. “Three times more money returns to the local economy when you shop locally, while eating at locally owned restaurants brings in two times more money, according to a series of independent-business impact studies conducted by Civic Economics, a consulting firm for local businesses.
And it’s important to strike the right balance.
“You’re not going to be able to buy a hundred percent local every time,” Bill Brunelle, co-founder of Independent We Stand, an organization that provides free marketing support to thousands of small businesses across the country, told Wirecutter. “But if you shift 20 or even 10 percent of your shopping to local, you’re going to make a significant impact on that business.” Independent We Stand’s Locals Only search engine can help you find retailers in your area. The American Independent Business Alliance also shares information on where to find local businesses across the country.
And, of course, your friends here at the Mill Valley Chamber‘s EnjoyMillValley.com platform have you covered on just about every sector in town, including apparel & jewelry, restaurants, food and wine, home & garden, kids and pets, specialty shops and an array of services, from architecture, design and home services to automotive, beauty & grooming, professional and consumer services, banking & finance, fitness & sports, health & wellness, real estate as well as the myriad local nonprofit organizations you can support.
Questions? Need a nudge in the right direction? Email us at info@millvalley.org or call us at 415.388.9700 Tue., Thu., Fri. and Sat., 12-4pm.