Why Buy Locally Owned?  Here are the top ten reasons, according to Sustainable Connections and Think Local, two Seattle-based non profit orgaizations created with the goal of enhancing the livability, stability and diversity of their community and the local economy.

Top Ten reasons to Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local

1. Buy Local -- Support yourself:

Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned chain, significantly more of your local providers and farms are successful and in the process, continue to strengthen the economic base of the community.  These include case studies showing that locally-owned businesses generate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the community and our tax base.

2. Support community groups:

Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.

3. Keep our community unique.

Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.  “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust

4. Reduce environmental impact:

Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.

5. Create more good jobs:

Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community, provide the most jobs to residents.

6. Get better service:

Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.

7. Invest in community:

Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.

8. Put your taxes to good use:

Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.

9. Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy:

A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.  A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.

10. Encourage local prosperity:

A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local! 

For more Information: http://www.sconnect.org/thinklocal/why/