10 Reasons To Shop Local First

1. Local Dollars Multiply in the Local Economy
For every $100 spend at a locally owned business, $45 stays in the local economy. For every $100 spend at a chain store only $13 remais at work here. Independent buisnesses create more jobs and buy from other local businesses, keeping money circulating many times over. Tomorrow morning that national chain store will wire transfer their receipts out of state.

2. Independent Business Owners are Invested in Local Success
This is a home to the local business owner who is far more likely to consider the community's needs in his business decisions. A chain operation will close a store, leave an empty shell of a building, cut jobs with no emotional concern about how those chagnes impact the community.

3. Independent Businesses Foster Local Job Creation
Studies show that locally owned buisnesses creat more jobs, typically pay better wages and are more likely to provide benefits than national chains. They tend to hire local people and promote from within, expanding opportunities for future generations.

4. Avoid Homogenizing Our Community
Communities that perserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character are more likely to attract entrepreneurs and new investment. Home-grown businesses are an attraction to vistors and improve our standing when attracting families and other buisnness.

5. Help The Environment
Independent buisnesses tend to operate downtown or nearby one another in walk-able neighborhood business districts, refurbish existing buildings, preserving the historic nature of the city. In contrast to big box stores build at the outskirts of the city, creating greater demands on our infrastructure and the environment.

6. Nurture Our Community
Locally owned businesses typically contribute more than twice as much to charitable causes than their corporate counterparts. It is primarily local business that supporsts the arts, schools, sociall and cultural programs in Carlinville.

7. Personal Services, Community Knowledge
Personal services and community connectedness are the hallmarks of most local businesses. When the owner has a stake in the community it makes a real difference in the service experience.

8. Creating Fairness in Tax Incentives
Our local first organization will encourage government to invest in redeveloping neighborhood business districts and encouraging more local business development, rather than offering tax incentives to "big box" stores to compete with local independent businesses.

9. Preserve Entrepreneurship
The success of locally owned businesses provides a real-life inspiration to our young people, providing that they stay in the area and prosper on thier own terms.

10. Maximize Every Dollar
Every dollar spent at a local business works three times harder to fuel our local economy. When we are each conscious of our spending habits and make the extra effort to shop with local independent businesses it is like turning one dollar into three.