Shopping Local and Global

Written By: Eddie Long, Owner of Genesis Hub

It seems as though the rush for Holiday shopping gets earlier and earlier every year. Shopping local is one of those things that’s like a New Year’s resolution or a gym membership.. we often have great intentions, but fail to follow through. I’m just as guilty as the next person. Black Friday deals, Cyber Monday, Amazon, it’s just so convenient. But shopping local can make a big difference both locally and globally.

Let's talk economic impact. When you shop local, as much as double the amount of money stays in our community. Research shows that $68 of every $100 spent at a local business comes back to the local economy, not to mention sales tax. But the local economic impact is greater than that, because local businesses hire local people, and local people continue to invest in the local community. Speaking of investing in the community, 91% of local businesses donate or volunteer In local non profits. You definitely don’t get those benefits when shopping at a big box store online.

Now let’s talk environmental impact. Shipping is convenient, but all of those individual packages shipping from all over the world tend to leave a large carbon footprint. Local

businesses consolidate that shipping and often also source locally when possible. Many local businesses had to adapt to survive during COVID and there are far more local businesses with full websites which means that now you don’t even lose the convenience factor. At Genesis we put our entire inventory online for delivery, pick up, or much shorter shipping.

Lastly, and my favorite, shopping local creates a relational economy! We're often unaware of it but ALL of our purchases are highly relational. From cashiers to suppliers to creators to farmers, every product we buy has passed through many hands and hearts. When you shop local you start that relational chain with someone in your community who usually knows much more about the product and where it came from. Almost all of the products we buy have a global connection as well, even if the product is made locally. At Genesis we're passionate about fair trade because it means that every link on your relational chain is treated fairly and with dignity. Ask your favorite local soap maker, or chocolatier, or T-shirt maker if they source their ingredients and materials ethically. Perhaps they've never even considered their sourcing, in which case you may have made a big difference in their lives and the lives of the

people they source from.