There’s no beating around the bush, the challenges COVID-19 created has taken its toll on Norwood’s local businesses. The pandemic has thrown far too many hurdles in the path of nearly every business owner in our community. But there is one fact that remains the same, year after year, holiday sales can make up to 40 percent of small business’ annual income. A whopping 40 percent! With the holiday season now in full swing, it’s more important than ever to keep our small businesses top of mind when shopping for our families and friends.
While there’s no denying the fact that shopping the deals and sales from major retailers online is super convenient, we fail to realize that we are really just filling the pockets of millionaires and billionaires while sending crucial jobs, local sales tax and revenue elsewhere.
Shopping local helps grow Norwood’s economy.
Small businesses offer crucial aid to local, state, and national economies. Supporting local is more than just a hashtag, it’s a lifestyle. How about this little fun fact? According to the American Independent Business Alliance (AIBA), around 48% of the cost of your purchase is recirculated back into your local economy when you shop your local businesses. Meaning, nearly half of the revenue from your purchase goes back into your community! Meanwhile, shopping a billion-dollar chain store drops that number down to around 14%. Ouch!
Just think about the benefits of taking your hard-earned dollars and investing them into your local economy, and how amazing it feels to help support a small business owner and their family, as well as your friends and your colleagues. Shopping local keeps dollars local which expands opportunities for others makes more of an impact in your community.
Shopping local helps boost Norwood’s job opportunities.
When someone opens a business, not only do they pay local taxes and source goods locally, they hire local people also. Consider this before you hit the “pay now” button online … Compared to major online retailers like Amazon, local businesses create two times as many jobs for the same amount of revenue. And, according to recent studies, local small businesses are the largest employers nationally, creating two out of every three new jobs, and employing upwards of 52 percent of the nation’s employees. Since 2003, small businesses have added 5.1 million new jobs to the economy. The local workforce employed by local businesses is the backbone of a community and what can make or break the success of a community. When you shop local, you create job stability for working citizens in your community, as well as opening the door for more local hiring opportunities.
Shopping local helps support Norwood’s creative community
Shopping local gives your community’s creatives much-needed exposure. Small communities like Norwood are full of incredibly talented artists and craftspeople who can’t find or can’t afford shop space of their own. These creative people’s resourcefulness leads them to partner with other local businesses to sell their products at a storefront. When you shop local, you give those craftspeople the exposure and funding they need to grow their business.
Shopping local helps support Norwood’s local producers
Shopping local also means finding healthier food options. Did you know, shortly after being picked, fruits and vegetables nutritional value begin to diminish? Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles to get to your plate, which means, by the time fruits and veggies travel across the country to your table, they have depleted many of the key nutrients they once had if bought at peak freshness from local farmers. When you shop and eat locally, you’re getting a healthier and tastier version of the same product found at a chain store.
Shopping local equals better customer service
Good customer service can be hard to find at the big chain stores and is nearly non-existent online. Some of the biggest perks of shopping local are, personalized customer service, and the unique, hand-crafted items you come across. Small business owners build their business because they are passionate about keeping their products and services exclusive to their community. Many times, small business owners are able to craft and personalize a product just for you – a service that really comes in handy around the holiday season when you’re searching for one-of-a-kind gifts.
Norwood’s local businesses are owned by people who live in this community. These hard-working individuals are more invested in our community’s welfare and future. This holiday season and every day of every year thereafter, you have the choice to put your money where your home is and “vote with your wallet.” Because, when it comes down to it, your values and desires are much more influential to your community and its small businesses than the big box stores and major online retailers.