Reasons to buy goods and services at locally owned businesses:

More dollars recirculated in our community

Studies show that significantly more money will stay in the local area when purchases are made at locally owned, rather than nationally owned businesses. More money is kept in the community because locally owned businesses often purchase from other locally owned retailers, wholesalers, service providers, and farms. Purchasing locally helps grow other businesses as well as the municipal tax base.

Local jobs and businesses supported and strengthened

Small local businesses are the largest category of employers nationally, and in Lake County, and they provide the most new jobs to residents.

Our unique neighborhoods preserved and enhanced

Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of our distinctive character. The unique character of Lake County is what brought people here and what will keep us here. Our tourism businesses also benefit.

Nonprofits receive greater support

Nonprofit organizations receive, on average, three times greater support from smaller, locally owned business owners than they do from large businesses.

Environmental impact is reduced

Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation, and they frequently locate in town or neighborhood centers as opposed to developing on the fringe of the city. This generally means local business contributes less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss, and pollution.

Customer service is better

Local businesses often hire people with more specific product expertise, providing better customer service. Additionally, owners who live in the community are motivated to treat customers who are neighbors with respect in order to preserve and enhance their reputation in the community.

Local business owners invest in community

Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.

Public benefits far outweigh public costs

Local businesses in town/neighborhood centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment (because it is already in place there) and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores moving into the community.

Competition and diversity lead to more choices

A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and affordable prices over the long term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a broader range of product choices.

Ready to shop local? View the complete list of local Lake County businesses.