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The Top 10 Reasons for shopping locally....

The following is reprinted with permission from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a national nonprofit organization working to rebuild local economies.

1. Local character and prosperity
   Your community’s local character and prosperity thrive when you support its unique and diverse locally owned businesses.
   
2. Community well-being
   Local businesses foster community well-being by building strong neighborhoods, sustaining communities, and contributing more to local causes.
   
3. Local decision-making
   Local ownership means local decision making by people who live in the community and share in the effect of those decisions.
   
4. Local economic benefits
   Keeping your money in your local economy supports local jobs, funds more local services through sales tax, and invests in neighborhood improvement and development.
   
5. Local jobs and wages
   Locally owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some cases, provide better wages and benefits than chains do.
   
6. Entrepreneurship
   Local entrepreneurship fosters economic innovation and prosperity.
   
7. Public services costs
   Local stores in town centers make more efficient use of public services and community infrastructure than big box chain stores.
   
8. Environmental impact
   Local stores help sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers, which in turn are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution.
   
9. Healthy competition
   A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses across our country fosters healthy competition and ensures innovation and low prices over the long term.
   
10. More choices for you
    An abundance of small locally owned businesses, each selecting its own product mix, guarantees a much wider range of product choices for everyone in the community.