Boulder Weekly Sponsoring Buy Local Pledge
By Mickki Langston - Posted on November 20th, 2008
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We got a nifty email from Boulder Weekly (an independent newspaper) today with the following message:
"By pledging to spend $100 of your shopping dollars at locally owned stores, you will have a potential 21 million dollar impact on our community, an estimated $3.1 million dollars more than if it was spent at a non-local big box retailer. You can help the local economy this holiday season. Make the pledge!"
They're giving away $1,000 in gift certificates from independent locally owned merchants and restaurants to one lucky pledge-maker. Email "I pledge" to pledge@boulderweekly.com by December 3. Winner is announced December 4.
I love how the word about the impact of local businesses is spreading, and how people are thinking of interesting ways to get involved.
Today we visited stores and restaurants in the Highlands neighborhood in Denver. Some places report they're doing just fine, and others are suffering a bit - but every time I visit one of our neighborhoods, I'm really struck by one important thing: our communities are already filled with great local businesses. I grew up in SW Kansas, in a little town with an empty Main St. The family-run businesses have mostly been replaced by chain stores and big boxes. It's terrible and ghostly. But for most of us in Colorado, we have easy access to the restaurants, retailers and service providers that make our neighborhoods, towns and cities unique.
Where we spend our money, however much we may have, is an investment. And we're either investing in our neighbors (such as food growers, artisans and musicians), or we're investing in corporations that have no real connection to us. Choose wisely. Connect with local businesses. Get involved in Buy Local Week. By working together, we can ensure long-term economic sustainability and build the kind of community connections that help us thrive.
"By pledging to spend $100 of your shopping dollars at locally owned stores, you will have a potential 21 million dollar impact on our community, an estimated $3.1 million dollars more than if it was spent at a non-local big box retailer. You can help the local economy this holiday season. Make the pledge!"
They're giving away $1,000 in gift certificates from independent locally owned merchants and restaurants to one lucky pledge-maker. Email "I pledge" to pledge@boulderweekly.com by December 3. Winner is announced December 4.
I love how the word about the impact of local businesses is spreading, and how people are thinking of interesting ways to get involved.
Today we visited stores and restaurants in the Highlands neighborhood in Denver. Some places report they're doing just fine, and others are suffering a bit - but every time I visit one of our neighborhoods, I'm really struck by one important thing: our communities are already filled with great local businesses. I grew up in SW Kansas, in a little town with an empty Main St. The family-run businesses have mostly been replaced by chain stores and big boxes. It's terrible and ghostly. But for most of us in Colorado, we have easy access to the restaurants, retailers and service providers that make our neighborhoods, towns and cities unique.
Where we spend our money, however much we may have, is an investment. And we're either investing in our neighbors (such as food growers, artisans and musicians), or we're investing in corporations that have no real connection to us. Choose wisely. Connect with local businesses. Get involved in Buy Local Week. By working together, we can ensure long-term economic sustainability and build the kind of community connections that help us thrive.
