Shopping small and local fills the heart
Chattanooga rocks with its array of local businesses and people that support them. This year and next, it is more important than ever to mix in local shops into your buying habits. That keeps small, unique places in our community. According to the World Economic Forum as of mid-October, 2020 "In the U.S. as a whole, data suggests that nearly a quarter of all small businesses remain closed." Yikes. Go team Chattanooga! Let's keep Chattanooga strong.
Still on the fence about buying local? Here’s a few things to consider.
It’s good for our community and tourism
One of the things I love about shopping in quaint small towns are the local shops. I have fond memories of living in Paris as a young girl, going to the green grocer, then to the butcher, the cheese shop, and then coming home. In that same tradition here when we buy cheese we head over to Bleu Fox Creamery.
Local and small ventures remain when folks choose them. It isn't a once a year thing on Shop Small Saturday (though we'll appreciate seeing you then), but a lifestyle choice and intention.
As a community, we can choose to support our group of shopkeepers that make Chattanooga a destination. Travelers and neighbors alike shop then typically eat at our restaurants, among other activities that fuel Chattanooga's economy. Choosing local keeps the $$ here, rather than where dividend holders live. In addition, taxes from local businesses contribute at a much higher rate than corporate entities headquartered in other states.
You can help out the little guy
Each day I bet you wake up and say "Gosh, those poor billionaires. I need to go help them out." It is unlikely that we intend to help them financially. Yet we do!
Mass merchandising, planned obsolescence, among other systems affect buying behaviors. We're mesmerized by thousands of options in a digital or big box array. It reminds me of the Matrix. Millions of products are produced and offered at irresistible prices...so we can all work together to help out the billionaires.
But there's an alternative. One that helps our local tax base too, which funnels into our schools, road repair, among other community efforts---shopping small. People are getting smart about keeping local shops alive as a vibrant part of their neighborhoods and lifestyle. Won't you wake up and help a local small business?
You can minimize and economize
I used to own 22 pencil skirts and over 40 vases. I wanted #allthethings. They were all so pretty! Then I got divorced. I sold a lot of my possessions to make ends meet, and couldn't afford a car for two years. It was a weird and humbling time. I wrote a book about it, in fact.
So here's the gist of what I learned: having one is better than 22 or 40. There is a profound beauty in simple and special. This is especially helpful when I shop. Freed from the need to have it all, I delight in what I truly love and treasure it. This may sound weird coming from a shopkeeper who sells things for a living. But you know what? I'd rather see folks get what they love rather than amass a collection that burdens them to store, pay for or transport. Some people call this approach minimalism. Some call it money-wise.
There's another advantage: it pairs incredibly well with shopping small. Instead of 22 shopping trips alone online or in big metal boxes, I have great experiences at amazing local businesses. But let's get real--we all know that lower prices often come from larger entities that buy by the truckload to dump it on we consumers. Now that I don't buy like I used to, I have a mixture of shopping experiences, both online and in in person. When shopping local, I have the honor of smiling at a neighbor as I buy from them. I can't do that to Jeff Bezos (Amazon) or the Walton family (Walmart, Sam's Club), Albrecht brothers (Aldi, Trader Joes'). I can do that in Chattanooga though as I shop small and local with my friends and neighbors.
What does that feel like? It is a joyful, friendly transaction, not something I share digitally with folks (look at this thing I got!...wait for comments). It is immediate and kind. It is real and right in front of me. It makes me happy and can make you happy too.
We can work together with people we know
We shopkeepers are the people that live here in Chattanooga. We fuel small shops and work hard. We have kids in schools, families we worry about, birthdays we celebrate.
When you shut your eyes and think of Target or Starbucks who do you see? I think of the cashiers I like, but not the owners. I've never met those folks. But I've met owners and operators of many small businesses. They're neighbors. Some are friends. They are out there taking risks, often going months, sometimes years with no income to make the American dream come true. If they're like many other small businesses this year they've done without to keep things afloat.
Shopping small is real and needed to keep our local community strong. It helps people with kids that go to school with your kids. It helps people repair the roof on their house down the street. It helps small businesses a few blocks away employ your friends. It is an economic hug that keeps on giving.
An invitation
Consider shopping small in Chattanooga. These ideas may not be convenient or easy to digest. Instead they are intended as a cause for pause. Let's make the rest of 2020 and 2021 one for the books, Chattanooga! Let's do great things and support our neighbors and friends.