As an island child…I remember when .... You did not need a credit card to be able to walk into your local convenience store and walk out with your groceries. Your promise to pay at the end of the work week was enough to add to your tab! And more than that; it was “the place” to meet and chat with old friends. A sense of community flourished and people stopped to chat and knew each other by name.
These days are long gone and more and more of us flock to the big box stores for better prices, better displays and variety. Many of us, myself included need to remember to support our local Mom and Pop stores and our small farmers. If we don’t, they can’t survive. When that happens, we lose a piece of our culture and of our identity.
We need a shift in our lifestyle and for more people to embrace investing in local businesses instead of shopping at the big box stores. In doing so we support our communities – and more significantly, the people that make these communities what they are.
Shopping local is all about being true to your roots and embracing your sense of community, and in that spirit, I’ve gathered some of my favorite “shop local” quotes to inspire and encourage you.
When you buy from a small mom and pop business, you are not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home. You are helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy get his team jersey, a mom or dad put food on the table, a family pay a mortgage, or a student pay for college. Thank you for supporting small businesses!
― Unknown
“Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” ― Anna Lappe
When I think about the world I would like to leave to my daughter and the grandchildren I hope to have, it is a world that moves away from unequal, unstable, unsustainable interdependence to integrated communities - locally, nationally and globally - that share the characteristics of all successful communities.
By using locally manufactured products, you will be able to help the small entrepreneurs in your area to a great extent.
Life in the mid-21st century is going to be about living locally. Be prepared to be good neighbors. Be prepared to find vocations that make you useful to your neighbors and to your fellow citizens.
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