The Daily City meets Casey of Grandma Party. (View photos: 2007, 2008)
10 Reasons to Think Local & Independent
Source: Ourlando; View Local Businesses
1. Keep Money in the Neighborhood. For every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, $45 goes back into the local community and our tax base. For every $100 spent at a chair store, only $14 comes back.
2. Help the Environment. Independent businesses make purchases requiring less transportation and are usually located in commercial corridors and in-town instead of developing on the fringe. This means less sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
3. Support Community Groups. Non-profit organizations receive an average of 250% more support from local business owners than they do from non-locally owner businesses.
4. Invest in the Community. Local businesses are owned by people who live here, work here, and are more invested in our future.
5. Embrace What Make Us Different. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of our community. Where we shop: where we eat and hang out- all that makes Ourlando home.
6. Put Your Taxes To Good Use. Local businesses in neighborhoods need comparatively less infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owner retail stores entering the community.
7. Get Better Service. Local businesses often hire people who have better understanding of the products they are selling, and take more time to get to know their customers.
8. Buy What You Want, Not What Someone Wants You To Buy. A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses means low-prices over the long-term. Small businesses choosing products based on what their customers love and need- not a national sales plan- guarantee a more diverse range of products.
9. Create More Jobs. Local businesses are the largest employer nationally and create more stable employment.
10.Encourage Local Prosperity. In an increasingly homogenized world, people are more likely to invest in or move to communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and unique attitude.