Shop Small, Shop Local!
There has been a lot of buzz lately in Piper and Dune’s hometown of Southbury about some big chains coming to town, so I guess they know something that we already know- the town is pretty great. Some have complained that they want more box stores and others less. For me, I try to support small, local businesses where possible; but I’m a realist too, and sometimes we have to shop at the big ones. Today however, I’m going to try and convince you to shop small whenever possible. I’ll think you will be surprised to learn just how important it is to your community.
Here’s how and why you should Shop Local every day of the year and not just on Small Business Saturday which occurs one day per year...
Your local economy - Sorry for all the factoids, it’s the Marketing geek in me, but they are impressive!
According to the SBA, 67% of jobs in the US come from small businesses and approximately 21% of women have a majority share in these businesses and the number is climbing. This means that by spending money at these small stores you are helping to keep their doors open and helping employees keep their jobs. And since these are people who live locally in your community, you should care about that!
Not to mention, 68% of your money stays local when you shop local. When you shop at national companies only 43% of your money stays local! That matters because less than 50 cents of every dollar gets put back into your community. The rest of it goes to their corporate office in another area, distributors across the US, and even out of the country.
- Small businesses are more likely to utilize other local businesses such as banks, service providers, and farms from their area or region.
- Here’s another way to look at it … for every $100 you spend at local businesses, $68 will stay in the community!
- Small businesses employ 77 million Americans and accounted for 65% of all new jobs over the past 17 years.
- The great thing about local businesses is that lots of times, they shop locally where they can. Many businesses buy from local farmers markets and farms that produce the products they need locally.
Giving back
- While small businesses make a lot less annually than major corporations, they give a lot more of their earnings to charity! According to Sue Lynn Sasser, PhD, professor of economics at the University of Central Oklahoma, “Studies show that nonprofits receive 250% more support from small businesses than large ones.
- Independent retailers like Piper and Dune return more than three times as much money per dollar of sales to the community in which they operate versus their chain competitors. Independent restaurants return more than two times as much money per dollar of sales than national restaurant chains.
- Piper and Dune gives back 10% to charitable organizations through its “Shop For A Cause” Pay It Forward program. So you can not only feel good about the fact that your money is staying local within your own community, but it is also going towards good causes such as non-profits. If you are interested in running a “Shop For A Cause” program with Piper and Dune, email us at info@piperanddune.com and we’ll set up your event!
Unique Stuff
Even if you don’t care about where your money is going, try looking at local businesses for unique items. Major stores will sell thousands of the same exact item because they have to - efficiencies of scale.
When you shop local, the quantity is limited and they will often have products that you cannot find at major chains or if they do carry branded products, they might find different styles or patterns. How the shops are curated makes a difference in your shopping experience. Chain stores must follow a specific planogram (a map) which tells them exactly which product goes where, on which shelf …so boring!!! At Piper and Dune we want our customers to walk inside our store and feel the energy and excitement we have for our products-- that simply doesn’t happen in a box store.
So, today on St. Patrick’s Day - if you’ve had your vaccine... sit and have a drink at your local pub, buy some shamrock cookies at your local bakery, have some corned beef from your favorite local restaurant or deli, pick up a cute hat like Christa is wearing or relax and shop small with Piper and Dune. Even if you aren’t Irish, celebrate the spirit of the day with your local community!
Explore What Excites You!
Chris and The Piper and Dune Family
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Sources: The U.S. Small Business Association and the U.S. Department of Labor report the positive impacts of small, independent business on local economies; https://www.fortheloveofblank.com/small-business-saturday-and-why-you-should-shop-local/