SHOP YK: Six Reasons Why Shopping Local Matters
Consumers across Canada are harnessing their purchasing power as they embrace the “Shop Local” trend. The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce and the City of Yellowknife have recently ramped up promotion of the #ShopYK message – but do you know why it’s so important to support local businesses?
1 Spreading Wealth
Money is the lifeblood of Yellowknife’s economy, and local businesses are its heart. When you spend your money at a local business, it gets pumped right back into your community in the form of salaries, taxes and fees. The “Local Multiplier Effect” kicks in when that business re-spends your money at other local businesses to recirculate it again and again in a cycle of local prosperity.
2 Building Communities
Yellowknife-based non-profits, charities and events all look to local businesses for a large portion of their resources – not only in the form of much-needed funding, but also through the donation of goods, services and volunteers. Long John Jamboree, for example, comes together with the help of over 80 sponsors, almost all of which are locally-owned businesses.
3 Improved Service
Shopping in Yellowknife gives you direct access to knowledgeable staff. Local employees can recommend products that meet your specific needs, give you the inside scoop on upcoming sales, and provide follow-up support after you make a purchase.
4 Creating Jobs
According to Statistics Canada, small businesses were responsible for creating 77.7% of all new private sector jobs in Canada between 2002 and 2012 (about 100,000 jobs each year). When you shop local, you’re not only investing in Yellowknife’s small businesses, you’re helping to drive the growth of their local payrolls.
5 Promoting Creativity
When you shop online, you’re supporting the national sales strategy of a distant corporation. When you shop local, you’re supporting the unique and unusual products that help make Yellowknife an interesting place to live and visit. It’s just one more reason to give the gift of custom glassware from Old Town Glassworks or to chow down on a hot plate of Monkey Tree Poutine.
6 A Better Environment
The further a product travels to reach you, the more greenhouse gas emissions are released along the way. You can cut down on these emissions by buying products that are already here in Yellowknife. Emissions from shipping are even lower for traditional arts and crafts and other products that are “Made in the NWT” – by the north, for the north.
