Walking to school today I passed several local businesses – proudly owned and operated. Local businesses are very important in terms of community sustainability.

Non-local corporate businesses such as Applebee’s, McDonald’s or Wal-Mart are convenient but your money goes out of the community when you shop at these places.
True, these places often give to local charities and provide employment but so do locally owned businesses. Locally owned businesses are more intimately connected to the community too. In addition, locally owned businesses are often more personal, will use locally owned banks, have character since they do not have to follow the strict big business formula and are more likely to purchase local goods to sell in their shops – especially when it comes to food.

Local is cool. For example, everything locavores consume from meat to vegetables to salt must come from a 100 mile radius. However, allowances are allowed. Some locavores only get a large percentage of their drink, food and spices locally since some items like baking soda, bananas, chocolate, coffee, salt or tea can be challenging if impossible to find being grown or made locally. However, locavores are creating a demand for these hard to find items. Therefore, local micro-businesses have an opportunity to bank on these special needs.

So the next time you can choose try biking or walking to a locally owned business. The exercise and knowing you contributed to your community will make you feel good afterwards.

On the Net: American Independent Business Alliance AMIBA
On the Net: What does and doesn’t grow within 100 miles of San Francisco?

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