Shop Locally

The San Francisco Retail Diversity Study was just published and contains this astonishing fact: hometown bookstores in the City by the Bay returned $55 million dollars to the local economy. Chain stores contributed only $8 million. Granted, independent bookstores in San Francisco command 55% of the book market in the Bay Area, but even so, this is yet another reason that shopping locally benefits customers as much as it benefits local businesses.

Unlike national chains who use out of town printers, lawyers, accountants, and the like, local businesses spend their money just down the street. According to the Twin Cities' own Metro Independent Business Alliance, which works to promote local businesses, an average of 68 cents per dollar spent at a locally-owned business stays in the area. For national chains, that figure is only 43 cents per dollar.