Blog

Sometimes It's Hard to Buy From Local Independent Businesses

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:47:00 GMT

Like many of you, I have a long term project that never seems to end. It's called home improvement. You can hear an audible groan from my husband on Saturday mornings after I utter the phrase, "I was thinking..." He knows that means it's time to get to work on yet another brilliant home improvement idea. He'd like nothing better than to cancel my subscriptions to "This Old House" and save himself from my great ideas.
Last weekend being a long weekend, it seemed to me a perfect time to take on some items on the project list. We started our day at the local hardware store, where we ran into some friends we hadn't seen in years, and picked up a few items for a small project. But then I wanted to consider a larger project we'd been thinking about, and no one carried what we needed locally. Yep, I had to admit it. If I wanted to complete this project within the weekend, I had to seek out a chain.
I went in expecting a terrible experience, but actually, there were some pretty helpful people there. Which brings me to a point that these large companies have obviously gotten wind of. People shop with local providers for their service. If you are a local business, don't ever forget that. Take the time to consider your customer service as an important facet in the success of your business. If you don't, customers will stop coming through your doors. The big boys are poised to welcome your customers with open arms.
I understand from my own personal experiences that sometimes it's hard to Buy Local, but if you make the decision to Think Local First, most of the time you'll be able to find what you need and make a difference in your community.

Local Washing- David J Hess

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:38:00 GMT

Local-Washing?

David J. Hess
Board Member, Capital District Local First

The “buy local” idea is catching on nationally. There is now a movement of over 100 independent business associations that have been explaining to people the value of supporting small, locally owned businesses. The campaigns that they run have a measurable impact on sales figures, so we know that consumers are beginning to pay attention to these ideas.
But in response we’re beginning to find a lot of local washing. Big chains and franchises may sell one or two items from in-state businesses and use that to call themselves “local.” Some of the chains are even debranding: setting up coffee houses, for example, that appear to be locally owned and independent.

Because of all of the local wash that is occurring, we prefer the term “locally owned, independent business.” What do we mean by that?

First, the headquarters of the business is in the region. For Capital District Local First, we work with the four-county area of Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties. We also support locally owned, independent businesses in surrounding counties, but our efforts are focused on this region.

Second, the business is privately held. In other words, it does not sell stock on a major stock exchange. Once a business is publicly traded, it must answer to its shareholders rather than its stakeholders--its local consumers and the community where it lives. Shareholders are often just concerned with the return on investment, not with the broader implications of how a business is conducted and the relations it has with the community where it is located.

Third, the business is not a national franchise or a chain. A franchise or chain can’t make decisions to shift its own sourcing to local businesses. Its materials and purchasing strategy are all mandated by the central headquarters. In contrast, a cooperative like Ace or True Value does have the option to buy from local businesses, so we include them as locally owned, independent businesses.

Now, there are always some grey areas. What about local chains? This question gets resolved differently in each of the 100 independent business associations across the country. I tend to think about local chains as independent as long as they are headquartered here and are privately held. Again, there’s a good reason: they have the capacity to shift their sources to other local businesses and to support the community with their retained profits. So if we support a local chain that is privately held, we are also asking that local chain to support other local businesses in its sourcing and to support the community through its contributions.

The general idea is that we want to help out the businesses that are truly local, that are committed to our community, and that aren’t using “buy local” as an empty phrase and cynical business strategy just to attract customers.
What about the many things that we can’t buy locally? The idea of buying locally doesn’t mean turning your back on companies throughout the world. It’s not about self-sufficiency. But it does mean trying to favor other, locally owned, small businesses throughout the world. A great way to help support those businesses is to look for fair trade labels. You can also look for food companies that are cooperatives of independent farmers. Many of the name brands in food products are farmers’ cooperatives, such as Eden, Ocean Spray, and Welch’s.

So there is no easy way to think about “buying locally.” It takes a little work and some reading. It means getting to know companies as well as their products to figure out if they are worth your support. But it’s worth it if you care about what kind of world you want to leave your children and grandchildren. A vibrant small business sector means diversity in the economy. It’s not just about creating jobs and opportunities for people. Ultimately, it’s also about democracy, about having a counterbalancing force to the incredible power that large banks and corporations have on our political system.

Buying from Locally Owned, Independent Businesses- David J. Hess

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:36:00 GMT

Buying From Locally Owned, Independent Businesses

David J. Hess
Board Member, Capital District Local First

During this period of job loss and recession, it is more important than ever to think about how your spending can affect our regional economy. Locally owned, independent businesses are in many ways the backbone of our community. The business owners are here to stay, and they have a stake in our community. They give to the nonprofits, sponsor our kids’ sports teams, participate in our local governments, and volunteer to help local nonprofit organizations.
In fact, studies have shown that communities with a higher percentage of small businesses have higher voter turn-out, a more vibrant nonprofit community, lower crime, and lower poverty.

When you buy from locally owned, independent businesses, more of your money recirculates in our regional economy, because the independent businesses donate more to local nonprofits and source from local businesses.
There is often a myth about buying at the chain stores. For example, studies have shown that food at farmer’s markets is often cheaper than in supermarkets, when you compare similar food (conventional to conventional or organic to organic). It is true that at the big retail chains the prices on some items are lower than in local businesses, but you have to be careful. Prices tend to sneak up over time, a strategy known as “price flexing.” Often the items carried--even with the same brand name--are of a lower quality than that found in independent stores. For example, a bike that we bought for our kids at a chain store fell apart within a year, and after that we switched to a local bike shop in Scotia-Glenville. Plus, the local stores like our bike shop often include services, such as repair services, that aren’t available from the chains.

You don’t have to be a purist and always avoid the chains. The idea here is to help the local businesses that make our community great when you can. You should make the shift when you can. Here’s a few examples:

•Do you really have to have that next meal or coffee at that franchise or restaurant chain? Isn’t there an independent restaurant or coffee shop that you also like?

•Do you need to keep all of your money in the account of a large bank that is too big to fail? Why not open up an account at a credit union or local, community bank? Those organizations tend to loan more to small businesses, which are the biggest source of job creation.

•Do you really have to buy your hardware at a large chain? Sometimes it is more convenient, but did you know that Ace and True Value hardware stores are cooperatives that are locally owned?

•Can you buy some of your food at farmers’ markets, from local food cooperatives, and locally owned grocery stores? The local food cooperatives do a great job of sourcing from other local businesses, so you’re buying locally not just once, but twice, and often with a great savings.

•Do you need to do your taxes, or work out in a gym, that is a franchise? Why not support one of our many independent, local businesses?

•What about sporting goods? There are some great local sporting goods stores that also have knowledgeable staff who can fix your kids’ equipment when it breaks.

This is not just another “do good” idea. It is about making choices about the kind of community that you want to live in. It’s also about bringing our economy back to a human scale, where people have an opportunity to own and run their own business and to use their place in a community to give back to it.

Moreover, independent businesses are responsible to you. If you want to know if that food you’re buying has been sprayed with a pesticide, you can ask the farmer. If you want to suggest to a business how it can reduce pollution, talk to the owner. They are part of our community, and they won’t put you in phone jail if you have a complaint or suggestion.

CDLF Speakers At Sustainable Saratoga

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:58:00 GMT

On June 22nd, Sustainable Saratoga included CDLF board members Melanie Beam and David Hess on a public forum discussion on creating a resilient local economy. Additional panelists included Robert Millis, James Howard Kunstler, and Todd Fabozzi.

This was a lively discussion with varying opinions and views. The constant message though is that we need to make some changes and do a lot of work to acieve our goals. The video of the event is available courtesy of David Levesque of Word of Mobile, here on the Sustainable Saratoga website.

Some great ideas for creating a resilient local economy came out of the meeting that David shared on the site. These include:

Consider local procurement policies. How can we encourage local sourcing at companies that are using products and services, that may be available locally, but are being sourced from elsewhere? Click here for New Jersey’s Green Procurement Guidelines

2006 Study by Robert Millis on the mix of “formula” and locally owned stores on Broadway in Saratoga Springs

Challenge ourselves to collect the data and research that has been done in other places.

Get consumers the data that they need to make informed decisions about how they spend their money

Go through a visioning process

Consider owning the racetrack, or a racetrackless Saratoga

What are things that are local but perhaps overlooked?

Support Regional Goods – Is there something manufactured in Albany that we could support
Local Bookstore (Tim has mentioned there is a great one in Schuylerville, again, could support #4, awareness)
The Chamber supports chains and big box stores, not just local business, but all business. Awareness campaign? How do other Chambers deal with the support for local businesses in light of non-local business presences?

Are there any examples out there to look at and emulate?

1. Institute for Local Self Reliance

Link: http://www.ilsr.org/

Description:

The Institute’s mission is to provide innovative strategies, working models and timely information to support environmentally sound and equitable community development. To this end, ILSR works with citizens, activists, policymakers and entrepreneurs to design systems, policies and enterprises that meet local or regional needs; to maximize human, material, natural and financial resources; and to ensure that the benefits of these systems and resources accrue to all local citizens.

2. New Rules Project

Link: http://www.newrules.org/

Description: A program of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the New Rules Project started back in 1998 and continues to bring fresh new policy solutions to communities and states to ensure that they are “designing rules as if community matters”. Why New Rules? Because the old ones don’t work any longer. They undermine local economies, subvert democracy, weaken our sense of community, and ignore the costs of our decisions on the next generation.

3. Santa Cruz

Panel Discussion on Sustainable Local Business Practices for Santa Cruz http://www.topix.com/forum/city/santa-cruz-ca/TLA6LRGKUB8G4QT89

Think Local First Santa Cruz: http://www.thinklocalsantacruz.org/c/

Sustainable Santa Cruz Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/santa-cruz-sustainable-living/

Santa Cruz Kids Sustainable (Lot’s of links to various initiatives): http://www.santacruzkids.com/sustainable.html

Many thanks to the Sustainable Saratoga group for their passion and continued efforts to keep the dialogue and action rolling!!

Slow Money Gathering June 9-11 in Shelburne Farms, VT

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:32:00 GMT

BALLE Executive Director Michelle Long will be speaking right in our back yard!

Comment on the Blog if you are going!!

ISM*
(*Inspired by Slow Money)
Our Second National Gathering
Shelburne Farms, Vermont
June 9-11, 2010

Slow Money… It’s not an ISM (as in capitalism, socialism, consumerism, market fundamentalism…).

But it is a new way of connecting investors to local food systems, catalyzing new forms of social investing and philanthropy for the 21st century. Join the emerging

View more photos here

network of investors, donors, entrepreneurs, farmers, and activists who are giving birth to the nurture capital industry.

Come to Shelburne Farms, a working farm and forest and National Historic Landmark -- a setting uniquely imbued with the history of capitalism and a nonprofit organization dedicated to forging a new future through sustainability education, creating social enterprises and strengthening local food systems. Enjoy the natural beauty of Lake Champlain. Meet thought leaders and change agents from around the country who are joining in this exciting project: designing capital markets that go beyond extraction and consumption all the way to preservation and restoration… starting with food and soil fertility.

The event begins with eTown, a nationally syndicated radio show on NPR, at 7pm at the Flynn Theatre on Wednesday, June 9th. The event is being catered by Sugarsnap, a local organic catering company, and includes a final farmstead dinner on Friday catered by the New England Culinary Institute, during which we'll hear the music of Phineas Gage. For program details, please click here.

Board of Directors Meeting

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:17:00 GMT

The Board held our monthly meeting via teleconference on Wednesday April 14. The Board meets the second Wednesday of each month to discuss future directions, events and membership.

The following items we discussed:

The Farm and Foods Group headed by Mariah and Mary Alice will be meeting May 6th to begin planning of the Local Harvest Festival which is scheduled for Sunday September 19th. Please email board@capitaldistrictlocalfirst.org for more information.
The Schenectady Buy Local Bash is well underway-cutoff for vendors will be April 25th. If you haven't signed up, please get in touch with David right away!
The Board is looking for additional events/partnerships with other like minded groups. If you have an idea or know of a great event-let us know.
We will be advertising in the upcoming Ecolocal Living "Farm to Fork Guide" due April 21st. If you are a farm or an organization associated with sustainable living, consider this guide as well.
The Board was asked to speak at the New York State Dormitory Authority about the benefits of the buying local as part of their Earth Week Celebration. This presentation will also be broadcast to other offices around the state.

We also plan our newsletter content, so if you have news please send it to us via the website!

Welcome!!

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:05:00 GMT

We've finally been able to create an improved presence on the CDLF website. Please bear with us, as this will be a time of transition. If you find something you dislike or a bug in the system, please email it to info@capitaldistrictlocalfirst.org.

The board has regrouped and we are on our way to a much stronger organization. We have many things that we want to be able to achieve for our members and our communities.

Our first initiative was the creating of "interest groups" within the organization. These groups are headed by a board member and appeal to the diffent aspects of a local living economy: environmental sustainability, community banking and finance, food and farms, independent retail, group events and marketing.

Obviously, that's a pretty tall order for a small, volunteer board, so we need your help in making these groups a success. Please reach out to board@capitaldistrictlocalfirst.org to sign up for an interest group.

Stay tuned!!