If we, DUers, don't shop locally, who will?

[LisaM]

DU ostensibly has almost 150,000 members. We're not going to change the world, but if we don't support local.....fill in the blank, bookstores, farmers' markets, coffee shops - who will?

Don't buy that next book at Amazon. Find a local book dealer. So what if you have to pay a couple of dollars more and wait a few more days? Don't you want that bookstore to still be there a year from now? I do. I buy almost all of my books from two indie dealers who know me.

Coffee? Skip a couple trips to Starbucks and buy a cup of coffee from a local espresso stand or coffee shop. Maybe it costs a bit more, but it adds a community place to a neighborhood and affords someone else a lifestyle they love.

Ditto farmers' markets. Look around for one. You'll be surprised. I just learned of one not too far from me that's year round. I got some delicious cheeses there, along with some great (and cheap) veggies.

Yes, sometimes we have to shop at a big store. But choose Costco over Walmart.

If we don't walk the walk, who will? Please consider it!

[DebbyKa]

1. Local Dining

It is easy to eat at local restaurants instead of chains. It is a good start at least.

[LisaM]

2. Exactly the kind of thing I mean.

That is a great example, and welcome to DU!

I know a lot of people who shop at Amazon and try to justify it for various reasons - one of them has a friend who owns a bookstore and was telling her how hard it is to keep ahead, but it somehow didn't occur to her to change her own behavior.

[cali]

7. Here's my town's local restaurant:

http://www.clairesvt.com /


The funds to start it came from community members investing in it and being paid off with free meals over a period of time.

[LisaM]

9. That is awesome!

Is their food good? It looks as if it is.

[cali]

10. Yes. Steven is terrific and completely dedicated to cooking with local ingredients

as much as is possible. Last time I was there, Emeril was chowing down. He's doing a show about the localvore thing happening here.

[rucky]

16. Here's my favorite hangout:

www.nightskycoffee.com

[AwakeAtLast]

21. The food is much better, too!

The locally owned restaurants in my area are great, even in Central IN!

[endless october]

3. i do so whenever possible.

so that's most of the time. however, my town has very few truly independent businesses left. most are still regional chains.

i wonder what would happen if every unemployed DUer spent their time unionizing their local walmart. i've toyed with that idea. i hear they close the union stores pretty quickly.

[LisaM]

4. Do you remember years ago the DUer who thought of starting a liberal city?

Just go to some place like South Dakota and get, oh, 100,000 people to move there. It was supposed to be some place with a small population and 3 electoral votes - SD, Montana, Wyoming, etc., but it could flip an entire election!

[endless october]

17. was probably before my time, but sounds like a decent idea. n/t

[KamaAina]

5. Transit-dependent people who have no choice

another reason to keep Sprawl-Mart and its ilk from taking over everywhere.

[Joe the Liberal]

6. I can't really shop locally around here......

I'm surrounded by retail giants.

[LisaM]

8. The stores I try to patronize aren't all at my doorstep

I'm in Seattle and I live by a large mall. But about once a month I go to the little poetry bookstore in Wallingford and buy a stack of books - and I also shop at a little bookstore in the San Juan Islands where they know me.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

11. We have no bookstores or coffeeshops.

The little town I'm in has three beauty shops, a Dollar General, and a Subway Sandwich Store.

The nearest "large" town is 20 miles away. It has 20K people. It has a wallyworld, a walgreens, and a Lowe's. And a Kroger and a Brookshire's (chain grok store).

No Starbucks.

There are no coffeeshops, no bookstores. If there was a bookstore it would be a Christian bookstore (probably Lifeway) which I have NO interest in. Even Wallyworld sells lots of Pimpleface Osteen's crud.

I have to drive 150 miles to get to a Costco in Houston or Dallas.

How in the hell am I supposed to buy local if there are NO businesses to support???

We get this argument all the time with people who think we all live in some liberal paradise with good mass transit and high density living like Boston or San Francisco or Seattle.

[mike_c]

14. your situation is the endpoint that NOT supporting local businesses produces....

Everyone will be in the same boat if the rest of use don't support local business.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

19. This is what rural America is like. Wallyworld destroyed the little towns.

My grandparents lived here. In the 1960s, there were two grocery stores, two dry goods stores, one hardware store, and a laundry/dry cleaners.

Now there is one feed store, one hardware/firearms store, one appliance store, and a filthy laundromat featuring avocado green and harvest gold(guess which decade, folks?). There are 3 beauty shops, no nail salons, one pharmacist, two banks, one doctor, one CPA. Two or three eating places--which I avoid because they are all greasy.

I have to drive 20 miles just to buy groceries. I can get junk food at the dollar store. The nearest Target or BigLots or Sporting goods (academy) is 80 miles away.

Things I have to get in Houston: Large jugs of 409, boxes of Calgon for the laundry, any thing from any store that is not Wallyworld or Lowe's.

[LisaM]

20. Well.

What you CAN do (and probably do do) is buy from little local spots on vacation, etc. Obviously, it's not something everyone can do every day - but that people can do when they're able.

[knixphan]

12. K&R

[Johonny]

13. what about areas with huge regressive sales tax

There's only so much farmers market stuff you can get. If the shipping is cheaper than the sales tax and sales tax is hugely regressive, I really can't fault someone for buying an item online.

[rucky]

15. Check out the 3/50 Project

I think it was covered on CNN over the weekend. It's turned some mom & pop businesses around in this crappy economy.

www.the350project.net

[robinlynne]

18. we do! I even use Revlon haircolor because it is the only brand that doesn't test on rabbit's eyes.

[UTUSN]

22. I do that: local. n/t

[TexasObserver]

23. Recommend. I am a big supporter of using local people for everything.

It takes more effort to do things that way, but it's worth it. From where I get my tires, to my car mechanic, to my plumber, to my electrician, to the places where I eat or shop, I look to buy from people I know. I like to know each one of them personally, and be able to call their name when I see them out anywhere.

Think globally. Buy locally.

[Skittles]

24. I've been doing this and it feels good

for example, I'm getting my salsa at a local farmers market now instead of a grocery store - it's GOOD!!