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Shopping small is a big deal. Every time we savor a handcrafted coffee from a locally owned café, find a great outfit or accessory at a neighborhood boutique, enjoy strawberries in season from the farmers market, or choose the perfect handmade card to send to a friend, we’re making a choice that has a large and lasting impact—for us as consumers, for the local economy and community, for our friends and neighbors who are local business owners and artisans, and even for the environment.
Buying local keeps money in your community and builds a strong local economy. Beyond the transaction itself, supporting a local business greatly enhances your overall shopping experience. It deepens your connection to your local community. There is a person, a story, and many relationships behind every small business.
— Claire Murray, Main Street Manager, Historic Kennett Square
Of the many great reasons to shop local, perhaps the best is that it’s more fun. At local shops, we meet talented artisans and entrepreneurs. We can enjoy touching, seeing, trying on, and tasting a greater selection of unique, quality products. Local business owners are passionate about selecting products that are often locally produced, one-of-a kind, and from for-good companies. And local shops provide the kind of exceptional customer service and expertise—and friendly smiles—that aren’t part of shopping at a national chain or online.
Shopping small has a ripple effect, too. When we support local businesses we become part of an ecosystem that helps the local economy to thrive. Small local businesses are the largest employers nationally, and an amazing 91 percent of local business owners contribute to their communities by volunteering and making donations to nonprofits. Small businesses also tend to support other small businesses. They bring innovation and create more prosperous, entrepreneurial, and connected communities. Supporting these local businesses helps preserve Kennett Square’s historic and vibrant character and pride of place. Without them, towns like ours would fade into homogeneity
Shopping locally is also an eco-friendly choice. Kennett’s walkability not only contributes to a better quality of life but also decreases the kind of pollution and habitat loss associated with the sprawl of out of- town shopping complexes. Buying from small businesses, especially those that source local products, reduces the environmental impact of the processing, packaging, and transportation of goods.
Kennett Square boasts a diverse array of over 30 restaurants and entertainment venues and nearly 30 retail shops. Each and every one of these small businesses is the fulfillment of a dream and provides a living for the owners, their employees, and their families. They depend on customer support that extends far beyond Small Business Saturday.
Shopping small is smart, relational, and a vote for community, diversity, and independence. Before we click online or drive to the mall, let’s give our local shops a chance to delight us.
