TheSingin’ Bean’s Blog

Which Cities Do You Support?

05 Oct 2009 4 Comments

by Cindy Pitts Gilbert in Coffee, Karaoke, Karaoke Coffee, Lawrenceville

Which Cities Do You Support?

The making of a Self-Sustainable Community

Name 5 cities that you support on a daily basis? Interesting question, the obvious answer is, my own of course. The answer is most definitely not that simple. Our nation and every city and individual is in survival mode it’s time to remember what is important.  The next time you are sitting in at the drive thru because you are in a hurry, can’t wait for your caffeine fix or just like the taste of fumes from the car in front of you, I’d like you to think about me and this article and the economy and your sense of helplessness about the current state of the economy.  I’d like you to think about home. Please ask yourself one community-changing question, what can I do about it? Quite a lot actually, as the owner of a small business I’m always wondering “WHY.”  Why am sitting on the second floor of my own locally owned coffeehouse, with enough time on my hands to wonder why?  Why do the masses not stop to smell the coffee specifically the coffee I sell, as opposed to the coffee the national chains conveniently provide. Why aren’t they lined up down the street to take time to not only smell it but to actually savor it? Why do folks seem to crave the hustle and bustle yet give lip service to the desire for more relaxation time. Why oh, why, can someone tell me why, do we ourselves and our neighbors seem to have this secret compulsion to support so many businesses in so many other cities rather than here at home?

There is a new buzz phrase out there today, “Buy Local” but what does that really mean. There are so many reasons and different ways to do just that, immediately many of us think about food, farmers markets, and the high price of gas, but the issue really goes deeper.  The deeper meaning is shopping out of the box, specifically, skip the mall, and head to you’re nearby, locally owned boutique and shop there. Forget the national food and coffee chain and choose a locally owned and operated restaurant or eclectic coffeehouse, eat there, drink there, have fun there.  Research locally owned products and services anytime you have a need or want anything.  See a Play at your local community theatre or sing Karaoke and enjoy conversation in your own local nightspot within your own community. Spend your dollars locally and the money will remain within the community you call home.  These businesses keep communities unique, which ultimately add to the ability to draw tourists to this area, another driving factor to supporting a strong local economy. “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.”~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust

Have you ever really wondered where your dollars go?  Let’s just look at a few that I personally know are in direct competition to your, friends business associates and neighbors who are not part of the corporate world.  I would like to challenge you a bit by asking you to question your spending habits. Please stop and think the next time you drive thru a Starbucks to grab that Café Mocha, where did you spend your green …really?, The Answer; their corporate headquarters which resides in Seattle Washington. I’m sure Seattle’s city council loves utilizing your dollars for all the local contributions Starbucks makes to the Seattle community.  Fast Signs Corporate office is located in Carollton, Texas, I bet their roads and city projects look swell. Love that QuikTrip coffee well then I’m confidant the residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma thank you. There are so many others, your Pizza Hut delivery last night supported Topeka Kansas, Applebee’s night out after the game, now owned by I-Hop, support beautiful downtown of Glendale CA. and McDonalds Happy meals for the kids dinner because you were in such a hurry to make it over to soccer practice on time supports a Georgia neighbor Fort Payne, Alabama.  Who cares, right? We are supporting the United States and all those businesses are great after all they worked hard to grow that big and well we love them and we do live in the age of convenience.  Let me ask you again, Think about me the next time you are breathing in the aroma of coffee and that car running in front of you. Exhaust fumes and Espresso yum yum gives you that extra little boost right in your Caramel Macchiato.  How will all these small business owners support their families without our doing whatever it takes to keep our community alive?  Remember us your struggling small business owner, your next-door neighbor and your friends living here with you, here in your community. I also want you to think of my other business neighbors who are also sharing their stories of how the economy is affecting their businesses. In talking with many local biz owners, there is a spectrum of struggle; some are doing great, most are hanging in there but feeling a decline, and others are operating in the red.

Choosing to support other cities that national chains call home while we wonder how to make ends meet here at home, certainly, is not the best use of our hard earned dollar. This summer I took my children to the city of my birth a former coal and lumber boomtown in West Virginia. Yes I was born a coal miners granddaughter.  It was an opportunity to show them where I was born literally. the hospital where I was born, although the only hospital within 50 miles is now closed . This once thriving city was in fact, a city of empty buildings. It was both beautiful in those mountains and sad. My thoughts as we drove through the city were of my own home here in Historic Lawrenceville and my sincere wish that our own city grow and thrive. What once was a thriving highly industrial community where my parents met and married is now a beautiful memory in the mist of those empty streets.  We must step up and take action and do something for ourselves to make sure that the place we call home not only survive but really thrive.  We must depend upon ourselves, fulfill our needs within our own community. We must shop eat and seek our entertainment locally.  We should support local growers whenever possible and do whatever it takes to see that our home is self- sustaining a home that we can be proud of.  All grand talk but what does shop local really mean.  It really means taking a moment to stop and think when you have a need or a want where is the closest place to get the need fulfilled that is locally owned and operated in our own city even if it might cost a little more. It is no secret that often times the locally owned businesses just can’t compete dollar for dollar with those corporate owned businesses who buy in bulk and often times internationally, but that extra little bit of thought ultimately goes right back into your own cities survival.  The taxes collected support the city government.  When you buy local, you support your own personal economy. Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms — continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community. Where we shop, where we eat and have fun — all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. When you buy from a local business you also tend to buy what you want, not what is marketed to you. A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.

Locally owned businesses can reduce environmental impact by making more local purchases which require less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution. Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers and thus give better service. A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character. It supports culture, rewards individualism and creativity.

Need a few suggestions where to start. Pick the Lawrenceville Square and then one of many networking groups Pick a Best Fit Pet Sit services rather than a kennel when you travel she’ll love your pet.   Refrain from Pizza delivery and try taking out pizza or dining in Little Italy. Choose to get your caffeine fix from a quality cup or coffee tea or espresso from The Singin’ Bean. No gas fumes, Add in a little Karaoke or Wi-Fi to complete your entertainment fix. Plan a Quality Theatre Experience at our own Aurora Theatre or enjoy a scary stroll hearing all the haunted history of our community Need some signage for your own business or that kids graduation contact The Local Signman. Craving a little zesty Italian choose Dominicks , Local Pub at McCray’s. Create health and wellness in your life, avoid the local GNC all you really need for that all natural feeling are health related products from Herbmom Organics,the Body Boutique or B’Tyli Skin Care.   Care to dance, or exercise, get a massage or limber up with Yoga. Fitness and Health never seem so easy as a short jaunt up the street to Miracles of Massage or Studio Dance and for the feet Fleet Feet will keep your running.  Got shopping on your mind bye bye mall traffic Visit Historic Lawrenceville for a truly new and unique shopping experience with the latest fashions at Peter’s Path or that unique accessory from Sparkle 1 and 2. Pick fine jewelry gift for that anniversary or birthday from Benton Jewelers or Southern Renascence.  Invite a bit of history into your home by adding a new antique purchased from one of our multiple antique stores. Like Scotland Yard, Cupid’s Bow or Hidden Treasure. Improve the look of your home with beautiful window treatments from Window Shoppe.

Can shopping local fulfill all our needs, probably not. It is not likely that the majority will embrace a commune type of mentality. Ultimately helping each other is the key to survival. Just think local first local franchise second and national chain as a final choice well just for now. Secure home first then we weill be better prepared to pay it forward and help other communities to thrive and succeed. So the choice is yours it’s them or us.  My vote is for us.  You heard it here.  The buck starts here. Here in Historic Lawrenceville, Georgia

Cindy Pitts Gilbert

www.thesinginbean.com