Guest editorial: Your local businesses need your patronage
Main Street, downtown Manchester. Photo by Sara Swanson.
Editor’s note: Guest editorials are by local leaders or experts with specific knowledge of a topic and may contain opinions. Views expressed in any editorial are always exclusively those of the author.
Merrill Guerra owns two Manchester businesses, the Main Street retail store Dragonfly and Birch as well as the Real Estate Brokerage firm Red Barn Realty. In addition she helps head up a business organization for the Manchester community, the Manchester Business Group, founded last fall in the wake of the dissolution of the Chamber of Commerce and the flurry of new businesses opening downtown.
Guerra reports that she has been hearing a common refrain from our local businesses … this month has been absolutely dreadful in terms of traffic and sales in our businesses and she is putting a call out to residents to support our local businesses.
submitted by Merrill Guerra
Your Local Businesses Need Your Patronage
Do you like having fun, interesting shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars in town? Do you think having a vibrant downtown contributes to your value as a resident of Manchester? If you answered yes to these questions, please take a quick minute to look at all the great reasons to shop locally listed below.
Shopping Locally Boosts the Economy
A local small business needs to be profitable to survive, which means customers are the main component. Buying from local businesses puts money back into the local economy, which benefits both the business and the tax base. For every $100 you spend at locally owned businesses, $68 will stay in the community. That money creates jobs and opens additional opportunities for downstream vendors and suppliers. A rising tide lifts all boats and the more storefronts that are occupied with unique, interesting businesses, the better able we are to continue to support those businesses.
Protect the Environment by Buying Local
Residents of neighborhoods with more local businesses log 26% fewer automobile miles. Produce and products originate close to the store, and shoppers and employees live nearby. Having fewer big box stores lowers the need for clearing lots and widening roads, which translates into reduced habitat loss. In Manchester, where we have to travel so much farther to get to the big box stores or the mall, those automobile mile savings are significantly higher. Add to that the fact that the business owners are located so close to where they live, many actually walk to their stores and shops from their homes, such as Linda Stevens and Carrie Neff, who both walk to work at their respective salons.
Personalized Service
When people shop at local stores, the owners and employees get to know them. They know their name and learn about their particular needs and challenges, which allows them to provide better advice and customized solutions. Impersonal reps at a corporation’s 800 number can’t compete with that. At Dragonfly and Birch we often take special requests for products; for example, we designed and created a cat buddha figurine to commemorate one customer’s kitty, Buddha, who had just passed.
Instant Rewards
It happens all the time. You’re in the middle of making dinner, and you need that one ingredient or a unique part for the repair you have to get done today. Waiting for even a next-day delivery won’t cut it as you need it right now. Nothing beats the convenience of having a local store close to your home that you can quickly drive to, maybe even walk to, or that delivers to solve the problem instantly. I know I have used the Manchester Market for that often (well truth be told, it’s the after-dinner sweet craving that often has me popping down the street to satisfy my sweet tooth). One of my husband’s biggest frustrations with projects around the house is having to go back and forth to a big box store several times in a row because that ONE screw you need isn’t the right size. It’s sooo awesome to have Ace Hardware in town. If you haven’t been in there since they completed their refresh, it is AMAZING. The stock is fabulous and I’m happy to pay a little more to save at least an hour of my time.
Tourism
The appealing character and atmosphere of a vibrant downtown shopping area, with its unique shops offering one-of-a-kind local products, quaint local coffee shops, and gourmet restaurants, attract not just locals but tourists, too. Residents from neighboring communities who don’t have revitalized town centers or who are just looking to experience something different will visit for a weekend, or enjoy a warm summer evening sampling the local cuisine, enjoying the local atmosphere. I think our residents would be surprised at how often we get folks from both surrounding communities as well as farther afield in our stores.
Local Shops Add Character and Atmosphere
Imagine strolling down a pedestrian-friendly main street after having a delicious meal at a local restaurant. You marvel at the beautiful historic buildings, breathtaking architecture, and scenic river scenery, then pick up a treat at a local ice cream shop or fun cocktail at the distillery and end this perfect summer evening sitting on a bench in a picturesque park. Who wouldn’t want to live in a town that boasts such an enjoyable quality of life?
What can you do to support your local Manchester businesses? It’s easy! Support them with your patronage and purchases. Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and the Walton Family (Walmart) don’t need any more money and they certainly aren’t contributing a dime to our community. So before you click that button or drive to Ann Arbor, think about whether you can get what you need locally! It might cost a little more but think of what you’re saving by not having to drive for your purchases and of what it means to our community to continue having a diverse selection of shops, restaurants, bars, and services.
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