5 Reasons To Support Small Business And Buy Local

Quick, think of your favorite restaurant… Chances are it's a local restaurant where they recognize and know something about you, like your name and "usual". The Cheers theme song is right: "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came". I visited one of my local favorites today!

Small Business Saturday is tomorrow and the Dayton region is rich with small independent businesses of all kinds. Think about local restaurants, stores where you pick up dry cleaning, donuts, fresh produce, flowers, gifts, take dance or art lessons, exercise, buy insurance, get your car repaired, hair cut, dog washed, have birthday parties, etc. Do you look at the walls in local businesses? I often find plaques and photos from local sports teams and events they sponsor along with thank you cards and letters from grateful customers and local charities, evidence of their contributions to both the local community and economy.

Recently I learned that a local teacher mentioned to a Heart of Centerville member and small business owner that Centerville's 3rd Grade students would no longer be visiting the local Walton House Historic Museum after budget cuts eliminated bus service for the field trip. Determined not to let the field trip be side-lined, the group of small business owners stepped up to cover the transportation expense. You only get this kind of involvement from engaged local community members and business owners.

Every time someone opens a small business in our community it’s a vote of confidence in us. If that doesn't give you a warm fuzzy feeling, maybe these facts will:

1. Each dollar you spend at independent businesses returns 3 times more money to your local economy than one spent at a chain -- a benefit we all can bank on.
2. Small businesses donate more than twice as much per sales dollar to local non-profits, events, and teams compared to big businesses.
3. Not only do independent businesses employ more people directly per dollar of revenue, they also are the customers of local printers, accountants, wholesalers, farms, attorneys, etc., expanding opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
4. Small businesses accounted for 65% of all net new jobs over the past 17 years.
5. Residential neighborhoods served by a successful independent business district gained, on average, 50% more in home values than their citywide markets.

Dayton Local is a small local business. We created it because we find the Dayton area a great place to live, work, and play and believe that locally-owned businesses are the foundation for a strong, local community. We encourage you to take advantage of our directory, community calendar, and blog to find and support local businesses so that we can keep them in our community.