I’ve always thought that as our society has progressed
(relative term), locally owned businesses have been slowly picked off one by
one, leaving us with a homogenized majority of stores. The stores of my youth –
the Creamy Freeze, Save-a-Cent, and Lakes Market are long gone. But as I’ve
gone in search of the locally owned stores I’ve discovered there is truly an
abundance of them. Something is happening now. There is an energy, a movement
if you will, that is re-focusing consumers on buying local again. Much of the
growth that is slowly lifting us out of this recession is coming from small
businesses – locally owned.
My best guess for the reason behind the momentum is two trends
I’ve observed. The first trend was made necessary by the recession. This is the
trend towards simpler lives. When things get hairy in terms of financial and
physical security, we hunker down and focus on what’s most important to us –
our health and our happiness.
