If we want people to ‘Shop Local’, it helps to ‘Be Local’

Love Local, Shop Local, Support Local Campaigns -  have become more important than ever - In fact, I recorded a little blurb that I called deep local about two days after the bushfires of new year's eve. It strikes us all that this is one of the keys to survival for our small business communities.

You can't talk about shopping local without addressing a common phenomenon, in SOME not ALL businesses. It's (for some) a sensitive part of shop local, and it's this:

In the call out for local communities to ‘Shop Local’ are the shops that call out for shopping local ‘Being Local’ in our community?  Do these businesses participate in the community themselves? Do they support other local businesses? Do they use the services of other local business operators? Do they purchase from local suppliers? Do they belong to local business communities or support local projects and charities?

The vast, vast majority would be a resounding yes. They are our beloved local businesses.
We are referring people all the time and we shop there ourselves, and they get involved in the community too.

I’m always rabbiting on about giving without expectation, but with this I feel a little differently. To me it's more like manners and the good old greasing the wheels of society. It's about what is polite and steadfast and part of reciprocation.

There is a store that I immediately think of as an example of ‘Being Local’ This store participates fully in the community. They help local schools, they rarely say no to prize donations, they get involved in all sorts of worthy causes and let communities leave flyers and brochures in their store. They understand the  power of the goodwill they spread at all times. It means that people love purchasing in their store. I wouldn’t event call it a strategy, they are just great people and believe strongly in community. I would predict that they will experience no downturn during this time, as they are so well loved and heeled by locals and not just by tourist trade.

This really is about the power of community. Our communities are kind of like extended families in a way. If you had an uncle that you only heard one from once a year for 5 minutes, you probably would baulk at him if he was asking you to buy him a Christmas present.

This is something that we can all lift out game on. Including me. I'm making a huge effort to not purchase online for anything and I'm attempting to support my local communities for everything I need… It's of course entirely understandable that I will go to my WWA community members first and foremost.

This is the power of community.

Andy