Why Shop at Local Stores?

Shopping and dining at small, locally-owned businesses and locally-owned franchises benefits more than just businesses, it benefits the entire community. Small business owners are more likely to live within the community where they have their business. They are likely to be raising a family, have children who attend local schools, or have extended family connections within the community. Statistically, small businesses and local franchisees contribute more to local non-profit groups and organizations than nationally-owned chains and online shopping sites.

Shopping and dining at any local business supports your community in many ways.

  • Local businesses of all sizes support the tax base in your community, providing funds for local infrastructure and city services.

  • Local businesses of all sizes create jobs in your community, reducing transportation expenses and emissions in traveling from home to work.

  • Small businesses offer product diversity based on the creativity and local knowledge of the business owner.

  • Local business owners, franchisees, and managers often participate in community events, belong to service clubs, and make donations to youth sports teams and non-profits.

  • Small shops and restaurants add to the unique character of the community and can attract visitors from other cities and tourists who are traveling through the area.

Why Buy Locally Grown Food?

People throughout the country are rediscovering the benefits of buying locally-grown food. There are countless reasons why buying local food is a good choice.  For instance, vegetables are harvested closer to their maturity which adds to their flavor and increased nutritional value. When you support local farmers, you support the local economy, use less fuel, and create less pollution by reducing the transportation process.

Buying locally-grown food directly supports small farmers who often make very little profit from food that is sent to consumers through the traditional distribution process. Annually, Americans consume more than $600 billion in food. In most communities, food is purchased entirely at a grocery store or market, with only about 7% of local food dollars staying in the community. The other 93% of the modern food dollar travels to pay processors, packagers, distributors, wholesalers, truckers, and fuel. When more food dollars stay in the community through local buying, they support thriving communities and local jobs.

It's Educational
Frequenting local farmer’s markets and purchasing locally grown food allows you to be more aware of food seasons, where foods are grown, and how to use and enjoy foods you may have never seen or attempted to experiment with in a traditional supermarket.

Reduces "Food Miles"
"Food miles" refer to the distance a food item travels from the farm to your home. The food miles for items in the grocery store are, on average, 27 times higher than the food miles for goods bought from local sources.

In the U.S., the average grocery store's produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator. About 40% of our fruit is produced overseas and, even though broccoli is grown all over the country, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average of 1,800 miles to get there. Notably, nine percent of our red meat comes from foreign countries, some as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

Saves Natural Resources
When food is transported across national and international borders, hauled in freighter ships over oceans, and flown around the world, a tremendous amount of fossil fuel is burned, releasing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and other pollutants that contribute to global climate change, acid rain, smog, and air and sea pollution. The refrigeration required to keep our fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meats from spoiling during their long journeys burns up even more fossil fuel.

Helps Your Local Economy
Buying directly from small farmers can dramatically increase their family income. Buying direct from a small farmer sends 90% of those food dollars back to the farm. Increasing farm income means more money can be spent locally by the farmer to run their business and home, helping keep the local economy flourishing.