Shop Local with LocalMotion

Serving: Cle Elum – Easton – Ronald – Roslyn – Snoqualmie Pass
and
Central Washington

Discover what’s unique about business in Upper Kittitas County?

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Why Shop Local ???? …….. Because it really makes a huge difference !!!

When you shop local, you invest in your community, in your neighbors and in yourselves. In this economic climate, the best return on investment is in local business. It is estimated that for every dollar you spend, twice as much will be reinvested in our Upper County community by a local store or business than by a national store.

Ten good reasons to shop at locally-owned Upper County businesses

Significantly more money re-circulates in Kittitas County when purchases are made at locally owned, rather than out of area or nationally owned businesses: More money is kept in the community because locally owned businesses purchase from other local businesses, service providers and farms. Purchasing locally helps grow other businesses as well as the entire Kittitas County tax base
Most new jobs are provided by local businesses: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally, and in Kittitas County they provide the most new jobs to residents.
Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of our distinctive character: The unique character of Upper County is what brought us here and will keep us here. Our tourism businesses also benefit. “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace not just anyplace.” —Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust
Local business owners invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.
Customer service is better: Local businesses often hire people with more specific product expertise for better customer service.
Competition and diversity leads to more choices: A marketplace of many small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices
Reduced environmental impact: Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
Public benefits far outweigh public costs: Local businesses require comparatively less infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.
Encourages investment in all of Kittitas County: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.
Non-profits receive greater support: Non-profit organizations receive an average 350% greater support from local business owners than they do from non-locally owned businesses.

You can make a difference with a few simple steps:

Make a decision to find and patronize a locally owned business, wherever possible.
Dine at a local, independent restaurant and treat yourself to a unique and personal dining experience.
When you shop online with out-of-state companies, it doesn’t contribute a dime to the local economy. So check for members who offer the same products, and some even deliver.
Look for the “Shop Local – Shop Upper County” logo when you shop.
Tell your associates, family, and friends why it is important to shop local. We all create our communities. Let’s continue to create strong and vibrant Upper County as a legacy for those who follow.
Look for the “Shop Local – Shop Upper County” logo when you shop

Here are activities and project ideas from other communities:

Shop local wood products from Comax Vally, BC

Buy local push in Germantown aims for big changes one step at a time:

Germantown, Philadelphia - When buying local means not getting what you want

Deborah Ellerby, vice president of the Duval Improvement Association is frustrated, “I remember going to a small grocery store in Germantown and when I got to the register I saw some of the vegetables were rotten. When I tried to exchange the food or get my money back and the owner refused.”

Ellerby says she received the same treatment at a local beauty supply store when trying to return items she bought moments before. ”I don’t think the majority of these store employees have been trained in customer service skills, I would shop locally but I can’t,” she added.

Long time resident Brigette Fleming agrees, “We really want to spend our money in Germantown but it’s hard for us to find things we want to buy here,” she said. (Read More)

‘Buy local’ day to benefit Pittsfield Community Theatre

PITTSFIELD, Maine — The town is aiming to maximize the benefit of local spending at local businesses to support a valuable local facility.

Several businesses already have signed up for the firstl Buy Pittsfield Buy Local Day on March 26 and Town Manager Kathryn Ruth is seeking more. Participating businesses will donate a portion of their sales revenues to the Pittsfield Community Theatre, which is in the midst of a major fundraising campaign.

Ruth and others associated with the theater, which hosts movies, live performances and other activities throughout the year, already have solicited several businesses with appeal letters. That effort has resulted in six businesses signing up and several others that don’t have retail components donating a total of $1,125 in cash.

Ruth suggested that area residents take stock of their coming needs and possibly make those purchases during the event on March 26. (Read More)

Letter: City planners should shop local

Yucca Valley, California – Why are the local contractors not using local services? (Read More)

per Kittitas Co