Local First's executive director Elissa Sangalli Hillary dropped a bomb on me and others at Founders Bank and Trust last week, so I thought I would praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. She told a group of us gathered that if Kent County residents decided $1 of every $10 they spend would go to local businesses, the shift in buying habits would amount to nearly $140 million annually and create about 1,600 full-time jobs.
Wow, could it really be as easy as this recent report from the Civic Economics indicates? Never one of my strong points, I got my math right, Sangalli Hillary says.
If she got her math right, then by implementing a baby-step approach to our buying habits, we can make a huge positive impact in the lives of Kent County's community members, from our neighbors to our local business districts.
And metro Grand Rapids residents already have found a way to incorporate the buy-local practice in their everyday lives -- Christmas shopping. Amy Sawade, public relations director at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, says the organization posted record sales at last week's Holiday Market, a pre-Christmas annual event that features the works of Michigan artists.
For those who missed the Holiday Market or didn't find everything they wanted, there is a bounty of artists markets scheduled to take place over the next few weeks that I will continue to highlight, such as this weekend's upcoming sales organized by artists at the
Tanglefoot building and the
Avenue for the Arts.
Something so simple could turn out to be the greatest gift you could give your community this holiday season.
G-Sync is on hiatus next week for Thanksgiving and so the choices were especially difficult to narrow down, as we had to consider over 14 days of activities.
Choose local…and often.
Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
Email:
[email protected]Twitter: @
TommyGSync
Click here to continue to this week's G-Sync events. Photo provided by Brian Kelly
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