Monday, August 14, 2006 3:03 AM
by
rosemontfloral
Why Local?
- KEEP DOLLARS IN PORTLAND'S ECONOMY
For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 stays in the local economy, creating jobs and expanding the city's tax base. For every $100 spent at a national chain or franchise store, only $14 remains in the community. [1]
- EMBRACE WHAT MAKES PORTLAND DIFFERENT
Portland is a city of neighborhoods. Where we shop, where we eat and hang out -- all of it makes our neighborhood home. Chain stores are getting more aggressive throughout Portland and are threatening to change the unique character of our city. One-of-a-kind, independent businesses are an integral part of what makes Portland a great place to live.
- FOSTER LOCAL JOB CREATION
Studies show that locally owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than national chains. [2]
- HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
Local business owners tend to set up shop downtown and in walkable neighborhood business districts, rather than developing on the city's fringe or in suburban strip malls accessible only by automobile. Having a diverse array of businesses within walking or biking distance in Portland reduces the amount of driving Portland residents must do to shop for goods and services. It also helps to conserve land, rein in sprawl, and lessen traffic and air pollution.
- BENEFIT FROM LOCAL OWNERS' EXPERTISE
Local business owners and employees often possess a level of expertise and a passion for the products they sell that is unmatched by employees and managers of national chains. They also tend to have a greater interest in getting to know their customers -- who are, after all, also their neighbors. Simply put, local owners and employees take a special pride in their trade.
- CONSERVE YOUR TAX DOLLARS
Small neighborhood and downtown businesses require less public infrastructure and make more efficient use of city services compared to sprawling big-box stores and shopping centers, which are far more costly in terms of road maintenance and police services, according to several studies. [3]
- HAVE MORE CHOICES
A marketplace of thousands of small businesses helps to ensure more innovation and competition, and lower prices over the long term. Independent businesses, choosing products based on what their local customers need and desire, not a national sales plan, guarantees a more diverse range of product and service choices.
- NURTURE COMMUNITY
Independent businesses are owned by people who live in this community and are committed to investing in Portland's future. Studies have found that locally owned businesses contribute more than twice as much of their revenue to charitable causes as corporate chains do. And advocates of local causes find that local business owners are generally much more accessible than executives of huge corporations based in other states. [4]
- PRESERVE ENTRPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurship fuels America's economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class. Plus, the success of locally owned, independent businesses provides real-life inspiration to our young people, proving that they can stay in Maine and prosper on their own terms.
- ENSURE PORTLAND STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD
In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character are more likely to attract entrepreneurs and new investment. Portlanders, like Mainers in general, place a high value on individuality and consider our homegrown enterprises a source of pride. They are also an attraction to visitors.
[1] Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Friends of Midcoast Maine, "The Economic Impact of Locally Owned Businesses vs. Chains: A Case Study in Midcoast Maine," Sept. 2003.
[2] See studies under the headings "Economic Impact of Local Businesses vs. Chains," "Existing Businesses," and "Retail Employment," on this page of the Hometown Advantage.
[3] See studies under the heading "City Costs" on this page of the Hometown Advantage.
[4] Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Friends of Midcoast Maine, "The Economic Impact of Locally Owned Businesses vs. Chains: A Case Study in Midcoast Maine," Sept. 2003; Patricia Frishkoff, Business Contributions to Community Service, Small Business Administration, 1991.
Content used with permission of Portland Buy Local, Rosemont Floral is a participating business.