Why Supporting Local Businesses Matters More Than Ever

Why Shop and Support Local Businesses in Windsor & Essex County?

In reality, a dollar spent locally pays dividends for a community in ways that online purchases just can’t.

1. Keeps money within our Windsor & Essex County community: 

Buying local ensures the money goes to members of your community, rather than entities outside of it, and it helps our local community thrive. Of every dollar spent at a locally owned business, about 70 cents stays local. Of every dollar spent at a national or global corporation, less than 40 cents stays local. For online purchasing outside of Windsor-Essex, ZERO cents stays local!

2. Keeps jobs within our Windsor & Essex County community:

When money stays in our community, so do jobs. Small local businesses create two out of every three new jobs and most people actually work for smaller businesses with less than 100 employees. Local businesses create more opportunities for local jobs and help keep employment levels stable in our community.

3. Increases our Windsor & Essex County community collaboration:

When you buy local, you have more of an opportunity to be in contact with the people of our community. Say hi, connect more often and get to know each other better, which has been sorely missing during the pandemic. Make our community a vibrant community. Get back to sourcing local goods, especially food from local markets and those that produce goods and services where a lot of it is sourced locally also, for example farm-to-table restaurants.

4. Creates independence and diversity in our Windsor & Essex County community:

Thriving local businesses prevent our community from being eclipsed by the large big box stores like Walmart. Those larger stores drive away local businesses and create dependence on them. If our local economy is doing well without relying on the global and national chain stores, we can function more on our own and provide more choices and diversity.

5. Helps Local Nonprofit Organizations, Charities, Schools, Teams and More:

Studies show that on average, locally owned businesses give three times as much as corporate chains to local nonprofit organizations, charities, local schools, teams and other local programs.

6. Better customer service and local reach:

There is almost always more personal touch from a local business than a chain store. It is much easier to know, like and trust people who consistently give you personal attention, and who you know from the neighbourhood. Local businesses often hire people with more specific product and service expertise, so you are more likely to get answers from an expert.

7. Local businesses owners invest in their community:

Since local business owners live in the community, they are much more invested in the community's future. They are far more likely to spend their business revenue and profits locally, as well as support local teams and nonprofit organizations.

Try Local First to Help Build and Sustain Our Community

Yes, we realize shopping online outside of our Windsor & Essex County community may be convenient and may save you a few bucks.

The problem is the massive transfer of money and jobs out of our community. For online purchases from companies located outside of Windsor & Essex County, 0% of the money stays in our community. For Big Box stores, 0% of the profit and very little of the entire revenue stays in our community. They may provide jobs, but those could just as well be moved to local shops. As well most, if not all, of products they sell are sourced outside of Essex County. Think of the negative effect this is having on keeping money and jobs in Windsor & Essex County, and on sustaining local businesses, organizations and professionals in our area.

Even more so, none of those mega companies support, donate or give back to our local community in any way. Only our local shops and professionals do. If we don't stop the significant rising trend of buying outside our community, our county's future may look bleak.

We are, however, not asking local Windsor & Essex County residents to completely avoid purchasing from those global mega corps (although if we can, even better!). We are asking that we start switching some of our purchasing back to local businesses, organizations and professionals. Even if it starts with shifting only $10 or $20 per week and grow from there. Let's get out into our community, build on these relationships and purchase locally whenever we can.

Summary

It is even more critical now to invest in and build a stronger Windsor & Essex County community. We are asking local residents to consider switching more of their purchasing of products and services to local businesses, organizations and professionals rather than online shopping outside of our community, as well as swaying away from the global and national big box stores. 

Please try local first. Our platform here at Windsor Local can help as we continuously try to build and sustain our local community. Let's make Windsor & Essex County an even greater place to live!