If you live in a large city like Toronto or Calgary and you are running low on toilet paper, diapers for your newborn or need a case of bottled water you can log onto Amazon and those items will be delivered before the end of the day and you don’t even have to leave home. In larger centers large box stores surround cities and you can go in nameless and not be recognized by any of the staff. Not so in small communities such as we live in.
This weekend is Black Friday and Monday is cyber-Monday. Businesses online will be featuring some of the largest discounts available this year. Close to home, district businesses will also have their own specials. Those online businesses will not be returning any money to the district.
When you walk into a local small business, you are greeted with that friendly smile, and you immediately know that you are welcomed. What is more important is that being a shopper at our small local businesses brings many rewards to our community. Two recent studies have shown that for every $100 spent in a small local business, somewhere between $48 and $63 dollars remains in the community compared to $14 in a box store. Those small businesses hire locally and rely on other local businesses for products and services.
I missed the craft show last weekend at the Couchiching Community Centre. There will be more in the next few weeks across the Rainy River District. I am always amazed at the skills that artisans across the region showcase at these shows. And this Christmas season there are even more reasons to shop locally. The Fine Line Gallery and the LaVerendrye Auxiliary Hospital Gift Shop both carry artisan crafts from local artisans. They are unique products. The sales of those locally produced items all go back into the community.
Monies from the sale of products at the Auxiliary Store go to help fund capital projects at the hospital benefiting all district residents. When you go to the district arenas and watch the youth of the area compete in hockey notice the sponsors name on the jerseys the players are wearing. Local businesses support minor league hockey, soccer, swimming, high school sports, stock car racing, fishing tournaments and much more. It is those dollars that you spend returning to you in supporting district activities and health care in the district. It pays big dividends to shop locally.
