We know you’ve heard it before. It may seem as if the record is no longer well-worn and simply broken, but here it comes again: shopping local is vital to our fragile little economy.
As bank cards begin their annual Christmas shopping frenzy, it’s a perfect time to send out the reminder to all those who cherish our community for all the special things it offers. Nelson is special because we care about keeping it that way and one of the tremendous attributes we have is our local retailers.
The Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce launches its Think Local First 3/60 campaign today. It’s a smart and simple promotion that’s easily achievable by all of us. It asks for locals to spend $60 in three different local shops and that will in turn have a 360-degree impact on all of Nelson.
It’s a good start and we’d like to see everybody turn up the difficulty level of the trick to include 720, 1080, 1440 and even 1800. The more we spend locally, the stronger our economy becomes. It’s simple math.
Next week, American voters will head to the polls for another pivotal election. The presidential race is down to the wire and the economy is the primary issue. Nowhere in their campaign stops have President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney told Americans: “You know what would be great? If you spend loads of your disposable income in Canada!”
Our community leaders have been warning about the impact of not shopping local for many years now. Right now local retailers are battling to stay alive during this continued economic slowdown. Now more than ever we need to ensure we invest in our community and ensure what makes this town special continues for many years to come.
The record may be skipping, but the message is worth hearing.