On the heels of my buying local post comes this post from Michelle V at Cleveland Foodie. This is a reprint of her blog post. She is a great blogger about the local food scene and worth the time every day to read. You will know more about Cleveland food and restaurants than anyone in town!
What buying local means and why you should: July 3-10
It means that $48 million would be kept right here in Ohio. Yes, $48 million. According to COSE, if everyone in NEO pledged to redirect $100 locally, that much would be kept right here. Additionally, for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 stays in the local economy, creating jobs and expanding the region’s tax base. Alternatively, for every $100 spent at a national chain store, only $14 remains in the community. Buying locally means supporting your neighbors. It means buying your groceries from the local farmers’ market, West Side Market, Heinen’s or neighborhood CSA. It means dining out at Greenhouse Tavern, Sun Luck Garden, Ohio City Burrito or Fire. It means grabbing your morning coffee from Phoenix or Loop (or even Blackbird coupled with the ridiculously good chocolate-cherry loaf). Seeing a movie at Cedar Lee. Picking up some fun treats and cool threads at Banyan Tree, Stash Style, Room Service or Wrath Arcane. Having a beer after work at your neighborhood bar. Taking dry cleaning to that mom and pop place up the street, or buying flowers for your wife at that little shop right next door. It means doing business with those that are as committed to our area as we are – that are giving back to the community, to our economy and are making a choice to do business right here and in return providing us the best quality product possible.
If you read this blog regularly, chances are I’m preaching to the choir. So let’s take this opportunity and spread the message to our friends and families. Let’s get them to commit to buying local for one week and see the difference it can make.
For the second year in a row, COSE and I Buy NEO are putting together “Buy Local” week from July 3rd – 10th to encourage Northeast Ohioans to support the area’s small businesses by pledging to spend $100 locally. You can learn more about the cause here and even get a discount card to use at over 40 area businesses now through August.
I remember this campaign from last year and it was going on not just here, but all around the country. Local food is tastier & healthier and buying anything local helps to support the local economy. Do your best to keep your money close to home, though as I noted earlier, it doesn’t always work out.
Tags: buy local, local food, shopping
