Every dollar spent inside a small community represents a boost to that community’s economy.
It has been said that a dollar spent in a given community turns over seven times before it leaves that community.
Whether or not that’s entirely true, the trickle down effect of buying local is wide-ranging and very real. From taxes collected by local government that become funding for various forms of community improvement, to employee wages that help put food on a local family’s table, spent money has many forms of impact.
From a retail standpoint, shoppers might not find the same number or magnitude of choices within the city limits of Houston as in larger cities like Springfield, but the fact is some of almost everything can be found. Retailers and government officials alike hope that shoppers keep that in mind before they make a purchase – not just late in the year when the buying ratchets up, but year round.
And in many cases, shoppers will find that local stores try to offer incentives, just as the bigger ones in bigger cities do.
Rhonda Neal, manager of Neal’s Sporting Goods in Houston since 1984, said she has a good way to help people obtain products from within the highly competitive field of athletic shoes that her store might not have in its limited inventory.
“We do have a pretty good selection, and our prices, I think, are good,” Neal said. “But if someone wants to come in and special order something I don’t charge them extra for shipping on it. And shipping on a pair of shoes can run about six to 10 bucks a pair these days.”
Also in the shoe field, Marcia Brown, owner of Brown’s Shoes in Houston since 1990 and an employee there since 1971, said people can actually save by buying local.
“It usually will save you money instead of driving a long way to buy something somewhere else,” she said.
Last week, Brown witnessed a good example of money circulating more than once in a community when two artists taking part in an art show at the Houston Rural Fire Association building came to her store and purchased shoes with money they made at the show.
“And people should realize that once the money leaves the community, it’s gone,” Brown said.
Local government doesn’t just benefit from taxes collected by local buying, but there are also ways it can be directly involved in keeping money local.
The Texas County board of commissioners recently did so by making sure that federal funds used in purchasing equipment for a debris removal program being taken advantage of by 10 townships around the county were spent locally.
“The organization sponsoring the program is based in West Plains, so they were set up to purchase things there,” presiding commissioner Fred Stenger said. “We asked why we couldn’t buy the necessary items in the county, and they said we could.”
The program involves clearing road right-of-ways, unplugging ditches, culverts and tinhorns, and various other forms of roadway improvements. Equipment such as chain saws, shovels, steel-toed boots and more will eventually be purchased or already has been purchased for the project, and many other large items will be leased, all locally (at no cost whatsoever to the county or county residents).
“We, of course, need the tax funds from purchases made in the county,” associate commissioner John Casey said, “but whenever possible, we try to find ways to keep money here that’s already here.”
Chris Davis, manager of the Houston Do-It Center and the three other CHC Home Center locations in the Ozarks, said his stores focus on that what local clientele is interested in, and trying to remain relevant in an ever-changing field.
“As a local retailer, our stores strive to provide a great selection of the core items we stock that our customers are needing and looking for,” Davis said. “We strive to stay up with new trends and the latest advancements in product designs in the building and hardware industry. We are able to do this by attending regular trade shows, and I personally read through numerous trade magazines weekly.”
Davis said CHC – like other local locations – tries to satisfy customers’ desires purchase a good product while spending as little as possible.
“Our company strives to offer special prices monthly on hundreds of items, that will in turn help save our customers even more money,” he said. “We also work hard to keep our every day prices on items very competitive with the ‘big boxes.'”
In a current retail world where service often takes a back seat to price, many local retailers use that as a means of being different, in a good way.
“We offer our customers very personal one-on-one service and we also are very willing and able to help people locate that ‘hard to find’ item and, can and do special order these items daily,” Davis said. “We encourage our sales team to offer this service to all our customers.”
Brown said small-town shoppers often have a better chance of getting someone who knows their business than shoppers in cities.
“In the city, you sometimes get a clerk who doesn’t know the product and doesn’t care about the product,” Brown said. “They’re only there to draw a paycheck. That’s not always true, of course, but we’ve all experienced it.”
Leslie Malam, who with her husband Chester owns Grand Appliance in Houston, said people should consider what happens after they buy a big-ticket item even before they buy it.
“Even though the big stores can offer big discounts, they don’t offer the service after the sale that we do,” Malam said. “That’s big to me. We’ve had customers who bought something somewhere else and they’re frustrated because they need service and can’t get it. We can cover things under warranty that we sell, but not things that were purchased elsewhere.”
And aside from all the other reasons to shop local, there’s always that issue of taxes benefiting local people.
“Sales tax dollars locally are going to directly impact our school system, our municipalities,” Davis said. “We’re also employing members of local families, which definitely impacts the community.
“I’m a firm believer in trying to shop locally myself, not just because I have a local business, but because I truly believe in it.”
Davis pointed out how when shopping local, people can often deal with people they know and have a vested interest in their satisfaction.
“Your friends and neighbors are on our team,” Davis said. “You can shop where people truly know your name.”
Neal summed the whole issue up by pointing our how it’s up to locals to shop local.
“Nobody else is going to,” she said, “and if nobody shops local, the stores won’t be here. That’s kind of the bottom line.”
It’s probably safe to say that the whole shop local, buy local issue boils down to local people helping local people.
“It’s about supporting your community,” Malam said.
If nobody shops local, the stores won’t be here. That’s kind ofthe bottom line.”