June 27, 2007

Kudos to the Gazette-Times for the excellent and informative “Family and Locally Owned Businesses Guide and Service Directory” that came with the June 25 paper.

I love Corvallis because it has a real downtown with a lot of locally owned stores, a great farmers market and a thriving natural foods co-op that features many local products. To me, these are all indicators of a caring community whose citizens are committed to buying from locally owned, independent businesses.

Shopping at businesses owned by Corvallis-area residents supports our local economy since the money stays here — paying wages and taxes — as well as supporting other local businesses. Only 13 cents of every dollar spent at a national chain is retained locally, compared to 45 cents of every dollar spent at a locally-owned store.

Buying products made and sold locally also requires less fossil fuel for distribution. For example, produce that I purchase at a chain supermarket has traveled an average of 1,500 miles before it ever reaches my plate. But if I buy from local farmers, the reduced transportation involved greatly reduces the impact on our environment.

Finally, buying locally helps build and strengthen a sense of community, since we get to know and trust the people who own and run those businesses.

Every time we shop, we need to think about where our dollars are going: To a faceless, distant corporation, or back into our local economy, where they can help us build an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable community?

Annette Mills

Corvallis