Buying Local

May is Buy Local month. A few commentators have said they think the idea of buying locally is outmoded in a global economy. My response to this is “Do you guys live in a cocoon?” Let me give you two contrasting visual images to underscore my point and then I’ll expound on it. One of the marital duties I took on / was assigned early in my marriage was fetching donuts for the household on Saturday mornings. Usually I go to a locally owned and operated bakery. They keep a jar on the counter for people to leave donations for an annual local celebration. When that bakery is closed for vacations I go to a national chain. They have a tip jar on the counter. That, in a nutshell, is why I try to buy local.

When spring is in the air many people start to think about vacations, swimming, flowers, and so on. For a PTA mom the return of the robins signals the beginning of Spring Fair season. A lot of elementary schools where I live have spring fairs and these events are major fundraisers for the PTA, and underwrite a lot of activities and supplies throughout the year. The one I volunteer with is a fairly involved activity and the coordinators are bargain hunters. These women can sniff out a donation a mile away. A lot of the food is donated, as are prizes. Businesses can sponsor a booth. Very few of our donations come from chains, those that do are locally owned franchise businesses. Everything else is local.

We have lost all of our local pharmacies. There is one locally owned hardware store left. The garage that takes care of our cars has a bulletin board overflowing with letters of thanks from sports teams they have sponsored, and events and groups to whom they have donated. I will confess to buying most of my groceries from a national chain but I also stop in a local mom & pop grocery once a week and pick up a few things. Often you can find the man whose name is on the sign outside stocking the shelves or checking in with customers. His store also donates a lot of food and services to local events and groups.

One of my friends is active in environmental organizations. The township Environmental Advisory Committee hosts tree plantings once a year. She often rounds up donuts for volunteers. A locally owned grocery store used to reliably donate a dozen or two donuts. It was bought by a national chain a few years ago. The next time a tree planting came up the free donuts were no longer available. Another local business has provided a coupon for a free item to all children participating in the library’s summer reading program. I read in the paper recently they the business was sold to a larger corporation. I am waiting to see what comes home with the summer reading program papers this year.

The remaining local businesses are hit harder by requests for donations. I know the bakery I go to is often asked to donate items. To counter this I will sometimes buy a coffee cake or cookies to take to bake sales, and tell the bakery staff where the items are going and that if anyone comes in asking for a donation they can say they have already sent something over. When I buy flowers from the local florist to take to campaign office openings or public events I ask them if they want to put in a pick with their name on it as free advertising. Ditto for the local mom & pop grocery.

Each year a local business sponsors luminarias for the area I live in. Volunteer block captains set out the luminarias, but the supplies are provided by the business. The supplies are useless without volunteers to set them out (tip for the day – never wear cotton gloves when lighting candles; you will end up setting your fingers on fire). The volunteers could not afford to buy supplies for their blocks, nor would they purchase the same supplies, providing the uniform look throughout the area.

To have a robust community bond you need community events and activities. To have that you will almost always have to have business involvement in some form. To have that you really need a healthy local business economy. To have a good school you need parental and community involvement. To have that you need group activities of some kind, clubs, sports teams, chess tournaments, something. To have that you often need sponsorship. To have that you need a healthy local business economy. Some chains do pitch in. Where I live, Home Depot has a good reputation for donating materials for scouting projects. Target does invest a percentage of its profits in the communities where it has stores. These businesses are unlikely, however, to sponsor a soccer team or a booth at the fair. Your best bet for that is a local business, or a parent with a professional office. When all the parents work for national chains and there are fewer local businesses, it is harder to have these events.

Local businesses, especially service businesses, tend to like to have their employees involved in civic organizations, not just monetarily but with time and energy as well. National chains are less likely to care. This is why I try to buy local, and why I think you should, too.