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Shop Local: Keep our community strong and vibrant

By Howard B. Owens

Today is Shop Local Saturday. Ironically, it's a national event pushed by a multinational corporation. Be that as it may, our readers know one of the underlying philosophies of The Batavian is that people should strive to shop at local businesses as much as possible.

In this day and age, it would be impossible in just about any community in America to shop in only local shops, but all over America, as in Genesee County, our communities are filled with vital local businesses.

Local businesses are essential to a community's health and prosperity. Social science research shows that communities with strong local business communities reap all kinds of benefits, from higher graduation rates to lower poverty rates and even a lower infant mortality rate.  

Local business owners help tie a community together. They volunteer more, give more and share more. They're part of our civic organizations and donate most to our local charities. Without successful local businesses, we would all be worse off.

There's been a lot of attention paid in this past election cycle to the idea that more of what we buy should be manufactured in the United States. That drive to bring manufacturing back to the United States means nothing if we're not supporting our local businesses. It's not that our local shops stock only American-made products, though that's more likely, it's that they are right in our community helping our community. If you truly want to see a great America, do something more than rally around manufacturing, support your local business owners, the people who live in your community and give to your community.

Here's a list of The Batavian's sponsors, which is a good place to start when shopping local for Christmas and into the New Year. We also encourage your support of the sponsors of the Pin Points bowling column, which runs every other Thursday exclusively on The Batavian.

We thank them for their support of The Batavian and thank you for your support of The Batavian and our community.

Authentically Local