「Think Local First」Movement
「Think Local First」
'Think Local First' is a consumers movement started in Santa Cruz that puts priority on local businesses and producers. It was organized by independent store owners and production facilities and is intended to strengthen the local economy and create a vibrant atmosphere unique to Santa Cruz.
Think Local First is implementing a phased in plan using stickers to identify responsible independent local businesses who are not only in business, but also raising children, and paying taxes into the local community and are committed to the community for the long term. Although consumers may pay a little higher price to shop at local businesses Santa Cruz residents believe this is a small investment to make to ensure a vibrant local economy that their children can inherit in the future.
「Think Local First」Merits
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Buying from locally owned and independent businesses benefits the local economy:
- Locally owned businesses spend their profits locally, purchase more goods from local suppliers, and employ their own office and support staff.
- When more money gets re-circulated in the community, general prosperity as well as tax revenues increase, creating a more vibrant and sustainable economy.
- Locally owned businesses tend to stick around when times get harder. A local owner doesn’t easily pack up and leave town for “better” pastures. This creates more stability in the local economy.
- Because they focus primarily on local markets, locally owned businesses tend to be smaller and place a high premium on being easily accessible by local residents. This cuts down on car travel and promotes sustainable neighborhood economies while at the same time avoids high public expenses for shopping center infrastructure costs.
. . . and the entire community
- Business owners, who live in town, take better care of the environment, participate in public life and local charities.
- A wide variety of locally owned businesses contributes to a stronger local identity and cultural diversity, creating an attractive place to live and visit.
- Strengthening our locally owned business community promotes authentic and meaningful relationships between employees, business owners, customers, suppliers, and neighbors. Chances are, when you buy from a locally owned business, part of your purchase will benefit your neighbors and friends.
- As the graph below shows, the effect of the Think Local First campaign as been considerable with money being spent outside the community dropping from 57% to 32% with 68% of the money now circulating within the local economy (Andersonville City Chamber of Commerce statistics)
