Supporting Local

Today I was thinking about how important and beneficial it is to support a local business.
I think a lot of people assume the shopping at a privately owned business costs more then if they shopped at a local mega-store.
In some cases you would be totally correct. And obviously some brands are not carried at local businesses either.

So, how can you make the business work for you?


Well for one thing sometimes just having an "in" with the owner is the place to start.
For example our local pet store that sells all sort of dog supplies has been close with us pretty much since they've opened. We were lucky enough to help them build counter tops for their new location when they expanded into a larger building.
After doing that they give us a store credit AND 10% off all items whenever we shop there. Now that is a huge savings! It saves the tax at least.
We did do the work for free (they bought the stuff) but it was a huge pay-off for us because it meant we would get discounts and future work with them.
PLUS it means we'll continue to shop there which benefits them. Yes, I realize 10% off is nothing when you take into account the mark up on items like pet supplies, but I couldn't get that sort of treatment at PetsMart.

They also let us showcase the work my husband does with dog houses as well as give out our info when people request work for items like a dog house. We've had one lady who called us recently and she was so impressed with our work she gave us a big bonus!
To me, what our pet store does for us is priceless.

And if we had been shopping at a mega store we wouldn't that the luxury of outside work as well as just having some great friends!

So when you shop local consider what it means not only to the shop owner, but what it could mean for you as well. I know a lot of places like coffee shops for example that allow local artist to showcase their work like photos, painting, art, etc in the store for sale. Just getting your name out there is half the battle to begin with!

Its a give and take that is worth investing just a little more into a local business!