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When you shop at locally owned businesses, you're helping to keep more of your dollars in the local community. A locally owned business owner has made a long-term investment in the community and is more likely to serve on community boards, volunteer for non-profit organizations and donate to local charities.

Meanwhile, out-of-town chains usually employ revolving-door management, will close locations regardless of the impact on the community and often seek tax subsidies out of proportion of the financial benefit to the region.

In fact, large retailers such as Wal-Mart often have minimal impact on an improved job opportunity and revenue growth because of the number of small businesses such big box retailers displace.

These are some of the points made by Stacy Mitchell in The Hometown Advantage, published in 2000 by the Institute for Local Self Reliance.

The subtitle helps tell the story: "How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores ... and Why It Matters."

Mitchell's suggestions for protecting Main Street range from local solutions such amending master plans to prohibit stores over certain square footage, prohibiting "formula" stores (each location must be unique from other stores in the chain), and up to the state level, which includes additional tax levies on chains that own and operate more than one outlet in the state.

Locally owned businesses are the backbone and heart of economic vitality for any community. The long-term health of a community that has lost its local businesses is sketchy at best.

The Hometown Advantage is out of print, but Erica  Caldwell at Present Tense on Washington Avenue tells me she can easily special order copies. She is also getting into stock the next book by Mitchell, The Big Box Swindle, which goes into more depth on the issue of major chain retailers and their impact on local communities. That's next on my reading list.