Before Scott and I bought Webster's Fine Stationers, I 'm sorry to say I was not an educated shopper. I really never stopped to think how my shopping patterns affected the community I was living in nor did I particularly care. I can't remember ever having a store clerk or store proprietor thank me for shopping locally. No one ever explained to me how important shopping at local, independent businesses was or showed me the impact my dollars had on the local economy. It was the 1970's, the 1980's, the 1990's, the 21st Century! There was plenty for everyone....what you didn't have the cash for, you could charge!
Forward to 2008 and the beginning of the Great Recession. Having bought WFS, Scott, I and our entire staff found ourselves enmeshed in a fight for survival. It's been a pretty tough couple of years for everyone. Soon it will be 2011, and my how times have changed - maybe for the better. Through the the internet and the social media phenomenon, useful information is much more readily available than it was before. People are using this information to guide their own decisions in all manner of things from politics to play.
One of the effects of having this much information available is the huge movement we're seeing toward locality. Locality meaning, in every sense of the phrase, putting your money where your house is. I love seeing that movement in Altadena. We need a place where we can shop for organic, healthy, locally grown foods. We need more local restaurants who promote this idea. We need our business community to come together and act together to benefit our community. We need relevant local shopping and a nice, safe area to do it in - right here in Altadena!
Our local Chamber of Commerce has rolled out their October Shop Local Altadena program with new coupons from participating businesses. I hear that next month more businesses will be offering coupons designed to keep your dollars in Altadena, where they belong. You can find the coupons at the Chamber's website, http://abacus-es.com/altadena/ Print the coupons and use them....our businesses need you and your community needs you!
Have a great week, my friends!
Lori & Scott
6 comments:
It's a great idea. As our municipal governments cut back on services due to lost tax revenue, what better place to put our dollars than into our own communities?
Exactly right, Petrea....thank you!
Who better to serve the local community than local businesses, your own friends and neighbors? Better than a faceless corporation located who-knows-where which isn't personally invested in the community. WFS has skin in the game (or whatever that phrase is - lol!)!
Rose, thank you, too!
This off topic, but I just saw your invitation to the September meet up. I'm sorry I didn't respond, I just never ever look at Facebook messages.
However, I heard the event was a great success.
Awww, Karin, that's ok. We had a great time and plan to do it again sometime soon!
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