Shop small, keep it local

It is difficult to watch as the character of a neighborhood changes. In Riverdale and beyond, it seems we witness a similar story: the small, local businesses that have been a part of a community for decades close their doors and are replaced with chains that lack the warmth and familiarity of their predecessors. Often, corporate greed is blamed for the trend, and sometimes, that may be the case. Other times, it is the result of rising costs and economic pressures being passed down through the economy until it reaches a business owner who has to make the difficult decision to close their doors one last time.

The Riverdale Press has covered many such closures, with outgoing business owners citing rising costs amid a time of growing financial pressure when we nearly all feel the sting. It is easy to feel powerless in such situations, faced with the local impacts of a national or global economic phenomenon and its lasting implications on the place you call home. But the situation is not out of our hands as consumers — at least not entirely.

The greatest power we have as people who spend money is choosing where to spend it. It can be easy as a consumer, and as a busy person in the modern world, to opt for online shopping. It’s convenient, prices can be surprisingly reasonable and it eliminates precious time that would be spent commuting to and from a physical store to pick up the needed goods. But that time spent in a local establishment is more valuable than we tend to notice.

What we take for granted so often when we shop at local establishments is not only the fact that we are lucky to share our community with so many intrepid entrepreneurs, but the way our own patronage shapes the community. Economists and research groups have long held that, when we shop locally, much of the money spent at a local establishment tends to recirculate through the local economy, whereas a smaller portion of that purchase amount may remain in the local community when we shop at chain stores. The health of our local business scene may lie more heavily in our wallets than we realize when we make our shopping decisions.

There is also something to be said for the community aspect of shopping locally. Frequenting a store, becoming a “regular” at an establishment, building relationships with business owners you trust and the others who have come to love them — this is what keeps local character strong. On a larger scale, shopping locally can also minimize one’s carbon footprint by eliminating extra emissions that occur when goods are shipped over long distances.

Of course, this impact is likely not lost on many readers, who have called this community home for lifetimes, and watched small businesses come and go. Many residents may prefer to shop locally, but have to turn to online storefronts to find specific things they need. For some with particular consumer needs, limited mobility or other constraints, choosing where to shop can be a luxury. But for those of us who can opt for shopping small, that choice can have a big impact.

Shopping locally may not entirely cure the pressures our local small businesses face today. In many ways, the large-scale economic trends raising costs for everyday people seem nebulous and out of reach to those simply deciding where to pick up dinner ingredients or get an outfit tailored. But the fight to keep local commerce alive and well is not a hopeless one either. When a community rallies around its local businesses in a collective way, it reverberates through our streets and helps keep our local business scene healthy. When we choose to spend locally, we are directly helping keep the businesses we love alive.