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Community, like good art, is one of those elusive concepts that we have trouble defining but we know it when we see it. In an era when faux community is sold through beer commercials and artificial main streets are a new development concept to make people spend more money, we live in an area that proudly, fiercely supports the sense of what makes our town someplace, not just anyplace. Takoma Park and close-in Silver Spring have the characteristics that make them real communities, such as music festivals, lovely old houses, community activism, and farmers markets. The central business districts are essential elements of our community and the many locally owned, independent businesses in them are run by folks who celebrate our towns and contribute to them. So why shop locally when we have all the glitter of the metropolitan area at our disposal? Here’s why.
Locally-owned, independent shops don’t fit easily into categories. Did you know that the store with Tiffany lamps in the window also sells toys? The bead shop sells yarn, too, and books are tucked onto many other shops. Shopping here becomes a series of unexpected discoveries. You can’t predict what’s in a local store before walking in; you won’t find the same items and the same mix sold anywhere else. The stock is determined by the tastes of the owners and the demands of the community. So the shelves are filled with unexpected items, one-of-a-kind things, quirky surprises. Here you can find exquisitely crafted glass bowls made by American artists, free-trade cooperative games, vintage beaded handbags, gift baskets of locally roasted coffee and sheet music for that song you can’t get out of your head. Reason #2 When you walk into a store and find yourself greeted by the owner, you have crossed the threshold into a relationship. In our local shops, the owners and staff know the merchandise well, are interested in talking with you about your needs, and can make suggestions about what might serve you best. Rather than wandering aimlessly, hoping for inspiration in faceless malls, you can ask for help from folks willing to serve as your own personal shoppers in each store. We aren’t talking anonymous, here, we’re talking local business. Reason #3 Buying locally means reducing your carbon footprint. In the US, the number of miles driven just for shopping increased by 40 percent from 1990 to 2001. By staying local, you do your part, especially in pedestrian-friendly areas. Also, independent businesses are much more efficient in the ways they stock their shelves. Rather than shipping items to central distribution points only to redistribute, local shops buy more directly, sometimes straight from the producer or artist. The antique and vintage stores recycle merchandise that was made to last, another way of reducing our impact on the earth. Reason #4 Money spent at locally-owned businesses stays to enrich the community. According to nationally-recognized, local author Michael Shuman, money spent at local stores circulates through the community at three times the rate of money spent at chains, in a phenomenon called the multiplier effect. In practice, this means that the money you spend locally enhances other local businesses, employs local people, contributes to local causes, pays local taxes. Power comes in keeping our dollars local so that the impact they have on our economy is amplified. Reason #5 Do you know how much Amazon contributed to the local baseball league this year? Nothing. Instead, look at the names of locally-owned businesses on the backs of kids’ jerseys. Local businesses give back to the community in many ways, from school fund-raisers to exhibition space for local artists, from flowers downtown to food for the local soup kitchen. Local businesses also provide settings for casual interaction among neighbors. You’re unlikely to run into someone you know when shopping at a big box store, but very likely to catch up on the news at a local restaurant or shop. Local businesses also engage in events. In Takoma, it’s Pajamarama, the Street Festival, and holiday concerts at the Gazebo. In Silver Spring, it’s the Mojos@Sopo, Jazz Fest, Silver Springs Swings concerts and the annual Thanksgiving Parade. We have a rich, organic, bubbling-up community, clearly identifiable to those of us who live and work here. Our local businesses, like our towering trees, are a vital, living part of what defines our town. By spending our dollars here, where our homes and our hearts are, we strengthen the community and support the art of living deliberately in our hometown. Roz Grigsby is the executive director of the Old Takoma Business Association. |
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