Every dollar counts. Every shopper counts. You count.
Probably more than you know.




Get The Facts:

The Economy
Small business accounts for 75% of all new jobs.

Women control 85% of all retail purchases – more than $7 trillion of buying power in the United States.

When you spend $100 at an independent business, $68 returns to the local community. Spend that same amount at a national chain and it drops to $43.

For every square foot a local firm occupies, the local economy gains $179 vs. $105 for a chain store.

Locally-owned businesses reinvest in the local economy at a 60% higher rate than chains and Internet retailers.

Small businesses employ just over half all U.S. workers.

Small businesses create more than half the nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).

Locally-owned and operated businesses create higher-paying jobs for you and your neighbors.

Sources: U.S. Chamber of Commerce – Small Business Nation; Civic Economics – Andersonville Study of Retail Economics. Civic Economics – San Francisco Report on Retail Diversity. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Buy Local Berkeley.

The Community
Did you know independent locally owned and operated businesses…
    
Are run by your neighbors—maybe even friends or family? They genuinely care about the well-being of your community because it’s their home too.
    
Are among the first to offer their communities a helping hand? Small businesses donate about twice as much per employee to charitable organizations as large businesses.*
    
Add character, quality and charm to your community, not to mention more choices? Often these smaller shops carry items that bigger stores don’t sell—usually because there’s not enough of the really good stuff to go around or the profit margin isn’t high enough for the big guys to stock.

*Source: Small Business Administration

The Environment
When you shop at independent locally owned and operated businesses, you are contributing to a smaller carbon footprint. Products often require less packaging and don’t travel as far.

Many independent locally owned and operated businesses can be found in established business districts, which mean less infrastructure, less maintenance and less wear and tear on your community.

Why now?
It is time for us to take matters into our own hands. YOU can do something to help YOUR local community. Economists believe the greatest hope for a full recovery lies with small, locally owned businesses.

They have been and always will be the backbone of our economy.
Support your community’s independent locally owned businesses and you can help make a difference.