Shopping local — there’s more at stake than you might think

By Laura Bohnert

Shop local. We hear that phrase a lot — on the TV, the radio, in the papers — but how much of a difference can we actually make by spending our dollars in local shops instead of at international chains and conglomerations like Walmart?

According to Roxanne Harper and the staff at Community Futures, you can make more of a difference than you might think.

“Sometimes people wonder if it actually makes a difference,” quotes Roxanne Harper, Manager at Community Futures, “but it makes a huge impact. The dollars spent within the community stay within the community and branch outwards. They help to employ people, and they help businesses stay local.”

“There are a number of benefits,” Harper continues, “but if you shop local, you are helping to keep local people employed, then local businesses can thrive and stay open, and all of this means that 10 years from now we won’t have to drive to the next city to do our shopping.”

“Plus shopping local contributes in many other ways to the community,” Harper adds. “It’s the local businesses that are the supporters of sports teams, public events, and non-profit organizations. Local businesses are the first avenue for donations and sponsorship. They are hugely important for any community.”

Community Futures, a national program with more than 250 offices across Canada, knows first-hand the importance of supporting local businesses.

While the head office for Yellowhead East Community Futures which, on its own, covers 10 different municipalities, has only been located in Whitecourt for the past four years, the program has been around since the mid-80s, Harper explains.

“We are a grassroots, community-based organization that helps individuals start up a new business, or we work with existing businesses to help them expand or strengthen in areas like marketing, bookkeeping, and social media,” states Harper. “We offer a wide range of programs, from developmental lending to coaching, but we are very involved in and committed to the idea of providing support to local businesses, so we do a lot of work with communities to help promote it.”

“As a developmental lender, we work with individuals who want to start a new business, or who would like to expand an existing business by bringing in new equipment or operating capital, Harper explains. “We have a number of loans out in Whitecourt and in Woodlands County.”

“Providing local businesses with loans is important,” Harper explains. “We can help the local economy by helping bring in new businesses, or by helping repeating businesses bring new products and services into the area.”

“What we have found with our organization,” Harper quotes, “is that being local ourselves has given us a better sense of the local areas and economies we are supporting.”

“Often, loan decisions are being made in cities like Edmonton,” Harper explains. “At Community Futures, decisions are being made by local people with local insights and an understanding of the local economy. Our board members are all from within the area; they are people who have businesses, too, so they have a sense of what is typically happening locally. A lot of times we work in partnership with banks to provide individuals with extra support when they need it, but our local connection gives us a little bit more of an understanding of the local economy and how a business endeavour might go, an insight that can provide a lot of assistance when it comes to helping local businesses.”

For more information about Community Futures or the importance of supporting local businesses, visit the Community Futures head office in Whitecourt or check out its website at http://yellowheadeast.albertacf.com/.