“Shopping Local” is more than frequenting an island store now and again. It’s about understanding the link between healthy communities and healthy businesses. It’s about hiring local contractors, buying local food, and patronizing local shops because it strengthens the island for all of us.

Well, if the feedback from island business is any indication, Orcas Islanders followed that credo in record numbers this year.

After surveying a handful of Orcas stores, restaurants, and markets, we found that some are faring better than expected this year. And that is due, in part, to increased local shopping. One business owner commented that it made a difference in her numbers. Another said he has never seen so many locals shopping in his store.

Brava to the Orcas community! Shopping on the island is good for both the consumer and the merchant, and island businesses have noticed the effort.

It helps that we have an abundance of eclectic storefronts as well as businesses with expertise in their fields. The decision to “shop local” is easier when the goods and services are a cut above.

Many stores rely on the tourist season for a sizable portion of their sales. But winters can be hard, and with possible ferry cuts in our future and an economy in decline, it is up to us to keep our business community afloat. Orcas has been doing a great job with this, especially during the holiday season. And in turn, local businesses are equally as generous with donations to island causes.

As the year progresses, let’s remember to keep our money in the community. Think twice before making that trip off-island to stock up the car or shopping online to buy a book. Before you check off all the items on your list at Costco, Target, or Amazon.com, think about where your dollar is going. It’s going to a business that does nothing for our island communities. It’s not going to one of your island neighbors, who may be struggling to survive in this economy. It’s not supporting a merchant who may give to the Lions Club, the food bank, or another organization that any one of us might benefit from in the future.

Buying products at locally owned businesses keeps that money circulating closer to where it’s being spent. Known as the multiplier effect in economics, this creates a ripple effect where those businesses and their employees spend your money locally. Yes! magazine, based out of Bainbridge Island, reported these numbers: for every $1 spent at a local business, 45 cents is reinvested locally. For every $1 spent at a corporate chain, only 15 cents is reinvested locally. Spending begets more spending, and the local economy flourishes. Plus, by purchasing island-made goods, particularly produce and food items, you maximize your money’s impact and minimize fuel use and CO2 production. (For more information on this, go to www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1565.)

Once you factor in the ferry tickets and gas, buying from mainland stores is not necessarily better on your budget. Plus, many island stores keep their prices competitive. We can’t ignore that Orcas simply doesn’t offer everything we need. But that doesn’t mean that we should bypass the local stores. Take a look around or give a business a call; their shelves may have just what you are looking for.

Thank you, Orcas, for taking the time to buy from island merchants this year.