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I’ve been so inspired by Melody Warnick’s book This is Where You Belong that I wanted to try one of her “Love Your City” checklist items: Spend $50 at three local businesses a month.
At first, this seems daunting. I don’t have an extra $150 in my budget and we’re trying to save for a big family summer trip–and I feel like I do try to buy local. But as this idea began to settle with me, I came to realize that’s not what this experiment calls for. I needed to REPLACE some of my purchases with local options.
First, there are the easy “local choices.”
In March, I spent $25 at Wythe Candy for sweets when we had out of town guests, $50 at Amber Ox for lunch and book club and $45 at the Jamestown Pie Company for a friend’s birthday party desserts. In April, I spent $54.20 at Buggy Bathe on a car wash and oil change, $27.18 on gifts at Quirks of Art and $57 at Scotland Street Salon. I was doing pretty well on this project, but once I started to think about shifting my purchasing to local over chains–I realized there are more choices. I can go to Ace Hardware, instead of a big box store, and I can choose local coffee and doughnut shops over the chains.
But I realized that some of my choices are already in line with buying local services: our haircuts, car repair and dry cleaning. These are places where my dollar gets re-circulated in Williamsburg for the most part–paying local people for services that they re-invest here. The American Independent Business Alliance estimates for every dollar spent at a local independent merchant, $2-$3.50 recirculates in the local economy.
Then for the really challenging part–to buy something locally that I might be tempted to buy online. I have been spinning at Iron-Bound Gym for nearly a year and I really need to get some cycling shoes that clip into the pedal. I’ve been looking online, at eBay andAmazon, trying to get a good deal. I’d been nervous about the sizing, and buying used because I’m not sure what condition they might be in for $6.99 plus shipping.
But I decided this would be a good way to demonstrate my local commitment. I asked for recommendations about local bike shops. People in my class came through, and gave me good reasons why I should go this route. The person who bought her shoes on Amazon didn’t know you need to buy the clips separately and had to order them later (also, adding to the overall price) while the person who got fitted and ordered locally got a good fit, plus the clips adjusted right there.
I decided to go to Conte’s Bikes in New Town and was greeted by none other than Fran Lenahan (his family graced The Local Scoop cover in Spring 2016) and his son is friends with my nine-year-old. Not only was I happy to see him, I know he knows bikes, and thus–bike shoes. I imagine the process of buying cycling shoes online might have involved a lot of clicking around trying to figure out the European sizing and ways of closing the shoe tightly. What I got from the in-person experience was this:
- Fran measured my feet, letting me know I am like lots of other people, with one foot slightly bigger than the other.
- He explained how the clip-in process helped get a better riding experience and less knee soreness if the clips are placed with my height and foot length in mind. Fran also knew what kind of bikes the spinning class has, and thus the right clip style to find–that’s some highly local knowledge!
- He had me try on a number of different styles and gave me some tips on what to look for (my toes shouldn’t touch the front of the shoe on the inside).
- We determined that I really needed a half size, and he scoured the online catalog until we found the right ones.
- I got to chat with someone else in the shop getting fitted for shoes, who turned out to be in the same spinning class–so I made a new friend, too!
I feel good about investing in a pair of shoes that will potentially last me for a decade of spinning, and that I’m keeping that money circulating around Williamsburg.
As I looked at where my money was going, I admit there are some challenging categories, like craft supplies, kids clothes, office supplies and tech support. But I will keep working on it. I’m addicted to First Watch even though there are plenty of other breakfast places around. If you want to try something like this, don’t forget service businesses like accountants, interior designers, writers (ahem!) and more. I’m going to keep at it though–please feel free to send suggestions!
Natalie highly recommends having your car worked on by locals, and wants to shout out to her long-time mechanic Bob Marahrens. Nothing makes you feel more like a local than having your “own mechanic!”
"This is Where You Belong": Melody Warnick’s book highlights how to cultivate a sense of belonging wherever you are, including specific checklists for buying local, walking around, getting engaged in civics and meeting your neighbors. She says, “Our towns are what we think they are—if you want to love your town, act like someone who loves how their town acts,” and “When you invest, you feel invested.”