Show some love
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how great it was to find a local hardware store in Olmsted Falls when I needed a specific kind of fastener to fix my mother's bed frame.
A dubious look from the clerk made me realize that stores like this are doomed as long as we mostly go to Home Depot or Lowe's for our home repair supplies.
People in Chagrin Falls did more than just think about it. They used social media to plan a "Cash Mob" visit to Chagrin Hardware on January 21st.
This ABC Television video shows what happened. What's encouraging to me is the applause in the studio at the end of the news report.
It's heartening to see a growing understanding that local independent businesses have a lot to offer people in any community.
The lowest prices may not be one of those things, but knowledge, customer service, and unique inventory usually are.
Local vs. online
An organization called the 3/50 Project has a specific suggestion on how we can help: set a goal to each month spend $50 at 3 local stores. That's $50 spread among all 3, not $50 each. The Project calculates that for every $100 spent locally, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures.
This is even more important if you, like me, buy things online. None—$0—of your online purchase comes back to your community unless you happen to have a distribution/fulfillment center nearby.
