Let's face it, Cincinnati is not identified by Wal-Mart, Applebee's and Barnes and Noble. We are a city of Skyline, LaRosa's and Findlay Market. We are a city that still cheers for the world's first professional baseball team. We are the Carew Tower's gold accents, the art-deco masterpiece of Union Terminal, and the mist off the Lady of Genius. We even identify with our corporate "local" entities, buying Crest and Tide out of habit and going past 2 other grocery stores to get to Kroger. It is this local flavor that makes Cincinnati...Cincinnati, and we want to keep it that way. Locally-owned businesses contribute to a lively, vibrant, economically prosperous city.
Economically prosperous you say? Yes, we do say.
It is esimated that for every dollar you spend, twice as much will be reinvested in the community by a local store than a national one. This includes economic stimulus such as wages, interaction with other local businesses and increased tax revenue. In the case of non-local merchants, much of the money you spend goes to out-of-area distributors, business services and, of course, corporate profits.
Even if you can get past the fact that non-local businesses are drastic underperformers when it comes to the local economy (which is a hard thing to get past), it is almost impossible to get past this fact: since the rise of national chains displacing local ones, service has sucked. If you want proof, drive to Home Depot, find an associate, and ask a question. Now, head to the local hardware store (hopefully you can still find one!) Find someone to help you, and ask the same question. Here's betting that the trip to the local store will not only be much less stressful, you will be in and out in record time. Home Depot, well...not so much.
One final note on the big national chains - they're bringin' ugly back. In a world where taking a short walk to the corner store has been replaced by traffic congestion, endless parking lots and vacant superstores, the formulaic national chains are again at the forefront. For example, in Ohio alone, there is more than 1.3 million square feet of vacant Wal-Mart stores. And folks, those don't look pretty. Not that they ever really did.
So, help Cincinnati keep its flavor, and in the process help out your neighbors, community, the economy, and yourself. Love Cincy. Buy Cincy.
I love this site, what a great idea. I do wish that you would move the Cincy Shops links to the top though, it took me a while to even find them.
Excellent work!
I was able to use this post for a great persuasive/motivational speech for my Effective Public Speaking class. This offered just enough defensible information to sprinkle in throughout my speech to make my argument convincing. Thanks BuyCincy!