DECEMBER 2011
03
FROM THE EDITORS Buying Local is Good for You
We’ve received many requests
STAFF DAVID LILLARD, Editor/Publisher DOMINIC VALENTINE & AUNDREA HUMPHREYS, Art Direction TARA SANDERS LOWE, Director of Advertising
PROOFREADERS: HALI TAYLOR, ED ZAHNISER
CONTRIBUTORS THOMAS HARDING CHRISTIAN & DAVID ASAM CLAIRE STUART ELIZABETH WHEELER JEFF FELDMAN STEVE CHASE ANNIE BROWN
DOUG HUMPHREYS MISTY HIGGINS
COVER ART BRUCE DAHLIN BY HALI TAYLOR
ADVERTISING SALES TARA SANDERS LOWE
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www.wvOBSERVER.com Sales@wvOBSERVER.com Editor@wvOBSERVER.com
JAN. DEADLINE Dec. 15th
for a reprint of “Buying Local Is Good For You,” from the December 2008 Observer. So, for the holiday season, here ‘tis. There are well-documented
benefits for choosing local, in- dependently owned businesses. It’s not always possible to buy what you need locally, but do the best you can. Here are ten reasons to think local, buy local, be local. 1. Support yourself. Studies
show that when you buy from a locally owned business, more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses. This strengthens the economic base of the com- munity. Studies also show that locally owned businesses gen- erate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the com- munity and our tax base. 2. Support community
groups. Nonprofit organiza- tions receive an average 250 percent more support from small business owners than they do from large businesses.
Features
Shepherdstown 250: On The wall Care Jam
Holiday Happenings
In The Mix Letter to the Editor Business Briefs
Around Jefferson County Political Junky What’s On
Sharlet Reads
Rest Haven Supports Baby Basics Columns
Blue Ridge Press By Glen Sherer Life Outside By Doug Humphreys Small Planet By Jeff Feldman
About This Place By Lyn Widmyer Epolyphony By Steve Chase Man Cave By Dominic Valentine Getting Acquainted by Claire Stuart Real Estate By Jeff Feldman
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3. Keep our community
unique. Our one-of-a-kind busi- nesses are part of the distinctive character of this place. Tourism businesses also benefit. “When people go on vacation they seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace,” says Rich- ard Moe of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 4. Reduce environmental im-
pact. Locally owned businesses can make more local pur- chases. When they set up shop in town centers, they benefit from sensible transportation planning. This generally means less sprawl, congestion, habitat loss, and pollution. 5. Create more good jobs.
Small businesses are the largest employer nationally. 6. Get better service. Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they sell, and take more time to get to know cus- tomers. 7. Invest in community. Lo- cal businesses are owned by
people who live in the commu- nity, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the com- munity’s future. 8. Put your taxes to good use.
Local businesses, particularly those in town centers, require comparatively little infrastruc- ture investment and make bet- ter use of public services. 9. Buy what you want, not
what someone wants you to buy. A marketplace of small businesses helps ensure in- novation and low prices over the long term. Having many small businesses, each selecting products based not on a nation- al sales plan but on their own interests and those of their cus- tomers, guarantees a broader range of product choices. 10. Encourage local pros-
perity. Research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in commu- nities that preserve their one- of-a-kind businesses and dis- tinctive character.
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