Buy Local is a grassroots initiative open to anyone who believes in the benefits of spending money in the communities where he or she lives, works, goes to school, and plays.
Citizen and community groups in concert with local businesses and government, and with the support of the organizational partners below, are committing themselves to the ongoing Buy Local initiative.
You can play an important role in raising awareness by displaying the Buy Local logo on your website and/or printed materials, by linking to WeBuyLocal.org, and by joining the Buy Local group on Facebook or Buy Local on LinkedIn.
While there is little individuals can do about the national economy, individuals can have a major impact on the Orange County, NC, economy, simply by paying attention to where they shop.
Your spending on everything from toilet paper to suits to business card printing dramatically affects your community and its businesses.
According to calculations by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce and Orange County Economic Development Commission, when Orange County residents 16 years or older spend $200 more in Orange County – rather than online or elsewhere – local sales rise by more than two percent. That two percent rise equates to about $500,000 in sales tax revenue that can fund as many as 10 local police officers or teachers.
Note that we are not urging you to increase your spending, but rather redirect it to the businesses close to where you live, work and play.
Buying locally sustains the unique character and quality of life of your community. Beyond the economic impact of your spending, buying locally supports the businesses that reinvest in your community’s social and environmental well-being. Orange County businesses give generously to area churches and non-profits and enhance the social welfare of friends and neighbors.
Dollars spent at a local business are reinvested in your community’s employees through wages and reinvested in other organizations through the purchase of legal, accounting and other business services. And by purchasing from local businesses, you (and the goods you purchase) travel fewer miles, saving you time, gas money, and carbon emissions.
Remember, when you spend it here, you keep it here.
WeBuyLocal.org is an installation of the Buy Localizer, an application developed by DesignHammer Media Group, LLC to help consumers easily source local goods and services.
A special thank you to the following organizations and individuals for their help in developing and promoting the Buy Local initiative, logos and website:
Calliope Publishing – Laura Zavelson and Gwendolen Gray
Multi-Channel Marketing – Alan Hecht
A Southern Season
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Communications Consulting Services
The Daily Tar Heel
DesignHammer Media Group, LLC
Orange County Economic Development Commission
Preation, Inc.
Southern Neighbor
Town Planner Community Calendar
