I posted this on Instagram yesterday and I’ve been thinking a lot about it ever since. 

Shopping local and supporting local artists and businesses is near-and-dear to my heart. But I get it - sometimes money is tight. And local businesses usually have to charge more than big-box retailers because we’re real people with real families to support and real taxes to pay. But you CAN offer support for your favorite businesses and artists without even bringing money into the conversation. Just show them you care. Leave a comment or two (You had me at “hello”). Share their story. Tell your friends. SHOW UP for events they host (and invite a friend). And spend 5 minutes reading their blog - the more people who read our blogs, the better our analytics will be.

Thoughtfulness doesn’t cost a penny.

I want to clear something up that I’ve been thinking a lot about. It’s not like shopping local is the only way local people are benefited. You still touch the lives of local people when you shop big-box stores. When we shop at Target (instead of the local mercantile) or Starbucks (instead of your local coffee shop), our dollar does benefit people in your community - it benefits the people who fill the shelves and the people who mop the floors. It benefits the cashiers and the customer service reps. It benefits the workers who drive the delivery trucks and the trash trucks. 

I mean, who am I kidding? I am a homebody and LOVE shopping on amazon. BUT another benefit of shopping on Amazon from the comfort of your sofa while drinking a glass of wine and eating the rest of the tub of nutella (TOTALLY not speaking from personal experience here…) is that it’s usually cheaper than buying that same thing locally. Now, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to save money, but this doesn’t mean you can’t still support those local businesses in OTHER ways. 

Let’s pretend your friend Sally is an artist. Her paintings are expensive and you love her work but you really can’t afford one for your home. You “like” all her posts (ALL.THE.TIME… you’re like a friendly-stalker) and share one of your favorites to your Instagram story (because even though you can’t afford it - it’s just SO PRETTY). Your friend Linda sees your story, falls in love with Sally’s paintings, and commissions her to paint a series of pieces for her newly redesigned living room. All because you shared 1 post.

Another scenario looks like this. Tom owns a sandwich shop. You’re gluten-free (GF) and unfortunately he doesn’t have any GF options on his menu (even though he’s working on it - GF bread is difficult to get just right… speaking from experience, here). You’re forced to eat at the big chain sandwich shop down the street because they do have GF options, but that doesn’t stop you from liking Tom’s beautifully photographed sandwiches on Instagram (and wishing he’d hurry up with the GF bread) or sharing Tom’s business on Facebook or commenting on Tom’s latest post about his newest sandwich creation or sharing Tom’s posts on Instagram. Tom’s online “friends” might not be the same as your “friends”. If you share Tom’s post and it reaches 50 new people (who didn’t previously follow Tom), then Tom might just gain 50 new followers. And what if 5 of those people decide to give his sandwich shop a try next week and share about THEIR experience? That could mean HUNDREDS of new followers for Tom’s business… just because you shared one post. You don’t have to eat there (or spend any money) to show someone you care. 

Let’s look at this a bit differently: Remember Sally? Sally got asked to be the featured artist at a local gallery’s family art day. You know you can’t afford her paintings but she’s your friend and you decide to go (to support her - WOMEN supporting WOMEN) and you share the event to your Facebook page. If 50 of your friends also click on the link saying they’re interested, the event Sally was worried wouldn’t have anyone in attendance might end up with standing room only. Just because you decided to be there and support your friend! 

I know this is a lot to think about . We’re all busy and we all have other things on our minds (read: LIFE). But something as simple as leaving a nice comment on a post doesn’t take any time at all. Just show your local businesses some love (even if it’s just a little love). 

When you’re supporting local businesses, you’re supporting a dream.