1. Preserve the unique character of our community

Businesses owned locally by our neighbors reflect and preserve the uniqueness of the JP area. If we make our purchases at locally-owned businesses instead of at chain stores, we help to preserve our neighborhood’s diversity and character.

2. Reinvest dollars in the local economy

For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $48 get recycled into the local economy, compared to chain stores which only spend $14 of that $100 locally (mostly in wages) (“Local Multiplier Effect,” AMIBA). Shopping local is also healthy for the national economy, since it distributes wealth more evenly and fairly. Are chain stores less expensive? Sometimes, but chains spend a lot of money on advertising and sophisticated pricing strategies to make the public believe their store’s prices are lower than they actually are (Mitchell, 127-37). Plus, when you account for the money that leaves the neighborhood, chain shopping starts to be very expensive.

3. Create jobs and responsible entrepreneurship

At local and independent businesses, more jobs are created per dollar of revenue than jobs created per dollar at chain stores (Neumark et. al) When a chain store moves into a neighborhood, new jobs are created initially (often low wage) but the net effect for a region tends to be job loss, as local businesses lose revenue to chain stores (Mitchell, 69).

4. Support environmental sustainability

Locally owned businesses are better able to source locally and lessen transportation impact than chains, which are standardized across hundreds of locations. JP Local First members themselves like to buy from local producers, suppliers, and service providers because they understand the tremendous impact of going local.

5. Strengthen the community fabric

Locally owned businesses make for a more connected and powerfully interdependent community. Local owners take pride in making business decisions that strengthen our neighborhood. And, in times of need, it’s our friends, families, and neighbors we want to rely on most.

To find a locally owned business in our area
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“Local Multiplier Effect.” American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA). Web. 03 May 2015.

Mitchell, Stacy. “Sometimes Low Prices.” Big Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses. Boston: Beacon, 2006. 127-37. Print.

Neumark, David, Junfu Zhang, and Stephen Ciccarella. “The Effects of Walmart on Local Labor Markets.” Journal of Urban Economics 63 (2008): 405-30. Web.