I’m often asked to join groups on Facebook. Some are really quite silly yet endearing such as ‘I Love Betty Sparkles.’ An FB friend shows her appreciation for her cherished pet, Betty Sparkles, the bulldog. Another group that I recently joined recognizes the strength and resilience of The Motor City, ‘Detroit Can Kick Your Ass’. I also belong to ‘Shop Mom And Pop.’ Small but mighty, with 300 members and growing, this group raises awareness and support for local business.
A post on the page sums up the sentiment:
“I always feel better about spending money when I am in a mom and pop type store or business. Corporations have enough money. I can’t walk into a Walmart. I want to vomit. They destroy the actual good businesses with personality and personal service. Shop Mom and Pop when you can.”
You could say this statement reveals an unrelenting evolution nationwide toward digging our way out of our current economic mess by tipping the ‘top-down’ business approach 180-degrees to something much more ‘bottom-up’ and that means buying goods and services locally.
Remember the old adage, the ‘grass is greener not on the other side, but in my own back yard”, well it’s carrying even greater meaning in the midst of this ‘Great Recession’—which is easing up only in a smoke and mirrors sort of way as the money-trading, and thus the money-making appears to be done only at the top levels of commerce. So far, the big Wall Street bail out, is simply that: saving big ‘bizz-nass’ and big banking. So, it’s really not trickling down.
Business journalist, Matthew Bishop beckons us from our lumbering sleep, imploring us to “create(what he calls) ”popular capitalism” if we are going to build back our economic system stronger than it was before – popular in the sense that all of us must be active in making it work.”
That means not only a shift in thinking but a shift in doing. Hopefully with the same kind of gusto in getting the word out on the local level similar to that of my Facebook friends above; beckoning others, encouraging your community neighbors to buy and bank locally. And, oh yeah, maybe you could first lead by example. Please!
Check out buylocal kalamazoo.org. It’s a mobilization and support movement for promoting and ultimately enhancing the bottom line of local businesses. But, on the consumer side it informs us of our local choices; and, most urgently for many of the unemployed, provides a lead on where some of the local job prospects may be.
Whether or not you agree with the liberal stances of the news, blog website, Huffingonton Post.com, you’ll no doubt find some merit in it’s ‘MOVE YOUR MONEY CAMPAIGN’. A real grassroots effort in getting us to move our money from big or national banks to one that’s local.
Kalamazoo’s First Community Federal Credit Union was featured recently on the CBS Sunday Morning News program in highlighting the cause of keeping your hard earned money safe by keeping it local. And, why not encourage larger, local entities to do the same! Taking a chunk of it’s $600-$800 million dollars liquid assets , Santa Cruz, CA has moved it’s county’s government business to a government insured local bank and extolling it’s virtues.
Two websites linked to Huffington Post.com to help you find local banks with good rates are, www.gobankingrates.com/local-banks , and www.solari.com. And, also don’t forget the old fashion way of simply looking in the yellow pages.
Recently, while in downtown Kalamazoo, I took a quick, very unscientific poll of favorite local places to spend money.
Frank’s Shoe Parlor was a hub of activity and a place for lively discussion on ‘keeping dollars spent locally.”
A top pick from Brian of Kalamazoo is South Street Cigars.
Scott from Galesburg:, One On One Fitness on Westnedge, and the Blue Dolphin bar, downtown. Kalamazoo.
Stephen from Portage prefers the Corner Bar.
Laurie, manager from Total Brewed Café likes the pizza at Shakesphere’s Pub.
I prefer Escape Nails & Spa, on West Main. I’m also sending a big shout-out for two sports specialty stores: Gazelle Sports in downtown Kalamazoo for the best footwear. And Team III Schwinn, they have great products and services for the moderate to serious biking enthusiast. It’s really worth the trip to downtown Battle Creek.
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