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Shopping at local businesses isn’t just a nice, feel-good thing to do. It also ensures that your money stays in the community, strengthening the city’s commercial base—which helps ensure Kingston’s quality of life, affordability, and attractiveness to potential home buyers and tourists.   

Now a handful of local businesses are joining a national shop local campaign to bring the point across. Nine Kingston businesses, the Business Alliance of Kingston and the Queens Galley have joined the 3/50 Project. This project asks the simple question “What 3 independent local business would you miss if they were gone?”  Then, can you commit to spend at least $50 a month at these three locally owned businesses—be it a restaurant, gift store, auto repair shop, lumber supply lot, you name it to keep them opened? Retail consultant and professional speaker Cinda Baxter launched the website www.3/50project.net a year ago as a way to strengthen independent brick and mortar businesses. By signing up as a supporter, business owners and local organizations can download a free flyer or stickers to put in their store windows, promotional banners for their websites, and other marketing materials to publicize the initiative and build support.

The Mezzanine

Larry Zalinsky, co-owner of Mezzanine Antiques Center, signed up a month ago. “It’s free to join, and you’re making a commitment to try and spend your money locally,” he said. “People need to understand the benefit to them of shopping locally,” which includes “more open storefronts, which make for nicer neighborhoods and more people wanting to move here.”

According to the 3/50 website, for every $100 spent in local independently owned stores, $68 re-circulates throughout the community, in the form of payroll, taxes, and other expenditures. If the money is spent at chain stores, only $43 stays in the community. If it is spent on-line, the local economy loses out entirely.  The site also notes that “commercial property tax is one of the largest lump sum contributions a brick and mortar makes to a community,” another important reason to support locally owned businesses.   

Gifts with a Twist

Karen Adin, owner of Bop to Tottom, spread the word locally about the 3/50 Project after learning about it from an independent manufacturer of goods for the gift industry she met at a trade show in Atlanta. “Shopping at a locally owned business has a huge impact on the community,” she said. “It’s been proven time and again that when you buy locally the ripple effect of the dollars spent stays within the community.” Adin buys her bags from local supplier Spiegel Brothers Paper Co., which has a synergistic effect: “[local] people stay employed and they shop locally. When they get a coffee in town they might come into my store.”

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And shopping at a local business doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll pay more. When Zalinsky and his wife recently were shopping for a stove, they compared the price at Feiden’s to the chains and found it was a little more, though “in the ballpark.” However, Feiden’s only charged $80 for the delivery and installation, compared to $165 at Sear’s and $150 at Lowes. “It’s not always about the price, it’s the lowest cost,” Zalinsky said. When there was a minor problem with the stove two days later, “Feiden’s was out there right away.  Supporting local shopping is about price and service.”

So to help support the local economy, consider joining the 3/50 Project and spending at least $50 a month at independently owned local businesses.

Here’s a list of local 3/50 Project Brick & Mortar independent businesses:

Armadillo Bar & Grill
Artcraft Camera & Digital
Bop to Tottom
Burts Electronics
D&J Distributors
Marigold Home Interiors
Mezzanine Antiques
Sav-On Party Centre

Here’s a list of local supporters

Business Alliance of Kingston
Paula J Kitchen Real Estate
The Queens Galley