Free Showing of "The Wal-Mart Movie" February 3rd
There will be a free showing of "The Wal-Mart Movie", Friday, February 3rd, at the Odd Fellow Hall, 223 SW 2nd St., at 7:30 p.m.
This is the first film of the 2nd Annual February Eco-Film Festival, sponsored by the Corvallis Environmental Center and the Northwest Earth Institute. Donations will benefit these organizations, as well as the Corvallis Food Bank.
There will be a film every Friday night throughout February, same time and location. During "The Wal-Mart Movie," there will be an information table set up for folks to find out more about CIBA.
For more information, go to the Corvallis Environmental Center's web site www.corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org.
jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman, 2:33 PM [link]
December Commentary by Jack Wolcott
On behalf of the Corvallis Independent Business Alliance, I would like to acknowledge the genuine support that our community has shown for locally owned, independently operated businesses this past year. We deeply appreciate the willingness to give the “local option” your first choice in fulfilling your needs and wishes.
Local ownership represents a year-round commitment to supporting all the various aspects of our community. As businesses, we strive to identify and satisfy your requests. As responsible merchants, we recognize the need to contribute to the many requests for fund-raising, donations, publicity and services. We are proud that locally owned businesses give a much higher percentage of their sales than do national retailers. And we do it quietly, without publicity — because we care about the organizations and their significance for our quality of life. As concerned individuals, we volunteer our time and display space for community activities and committees. We recognize that it is one of our responsibilities to share our resources for the greater good. We know that the well-being of Corvallis and our business vitality are inseparably linked.
A true joy of the holiday time is observing our friends and customers interacting with each other — sharing seasonal stories and secrets while browsing our shelves. We are privileged to be included in your short list of special places to meet friends and relax just a bit. This is the nature of community businesses: a place where people feel they belong and which respects them as unique individuals. Without this mutual respect, a community can quickly become lost, without a clear sense of identity or purpose.
One of the deepest satisfactions of the holiday season is hearing the authentic expressions of support and comments from our friends and customers about why they choose to shop locally — and in our stores in particular. We spend so much of our time solving the little daily tribulations and the big picture concerns that it is too easy to forget why we chose to operate our businesses in the first place. The cash flow is obviously critical to our survival, but without your heartfelt comments, each of our businesses would feel just like another big box — all bottom-line concerns and no room for people.
Last month, I mentioned several studies that demonstrated the “multiplier effect” of $100 spent with a locally owned business versus a national retailer. I said that if each household in Corvallis would divert $100 of already planned holiday spending from nationally owned businesses to locally owned businesses, we could generate over $1 million in local economic benefit. This represents an increase of about $700,000 that would otherwise immediately leave the area once it was spent. You can read our previous columns on CIBA’s Web site at www.corvallisIBA.org. Last month’s column also has links to the original studies and other related articles. While you are visiting our Web page, please look at our scrip program to support our local schools.
So thanks again for your support toward our goal of a “million dollar holiday” for Corvallis. We look forward to several programs next year to further enhance the quality of life for our community. We can’t do it without you, so please let us know how we may best serve you.
jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman, 2:22 PM [link]
