By Carey Eskridge and Colleen Smith Summers
When I launch into my stump speech about supporting our island businesses and service providers, I’m often reminded of George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart’s character in “It’s a Wonderful Life”) during the bank run scene as he explains that everyone’s money isn’t sitting in the vault at the building and loan he runs, but instead has been invested in homes all over town. “We’ll get through this if we just stick together!” George pleads.
So, this holiday season, before you get online or head to the mainland to shop at that big box store, gifts flung across your arms, take a moment to think about where your dollars are going.
We can’t be sure which foreign manufacturer is benefiting from your hard-earned cash, but we can say where it’s not going: to your community.
The best way to keep our islands thriving is to support local businesses. Your friends and neighbors in their shops, stores and restaurants want to make your holidays merry, and they need your patronage to make the season bright for themselves, their employees and their families.
Islanders support local businesses because those businesses sell quality products at fair prices, and because islanders know that if they don’t buy locally, those businesses simply can’t stay in business.
Two-thirds of the money you spend on island stays here. That’s 67 cents of every dollar. One hundred dollars spent on San Juan, Orcas or Lopez not only puts food on tables for shop owners’ families but it gets reinvested in the community by way of donations to the arts, school extracurriculars and community organizations that provide a social safety net for so many islanders. And the 5% or 10% you think you’re saving by buying off-island instead goes toward ferry fares and fuel prices – to say nothing of the crowded parking lots and long lines at the cash register when you trek off-island to make your purchases. And I think we can all agree Jeff Bezos is rich enough.
Of course, there are some big-ticket items that simply cannot be found on the island. But for everything else – and there is a lot – look for what you need right here. It is one of the greatest gifts you can give to the place you call home.
Do yourself and your fellow islanders a favor: shop locally this winter. If we just stick together, our entire community thrives!
