Salisbury- The City of Salisbury and the Office of Business Development are excited to announce Shop Local Salisbury, a campaign to encourage the support of local businesses, many of which are continuing to struggle due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Choosing to buy local, even for something as small as a cup of coffee, can mean the world to a small business feeling the effects of the economy COVID-19 has created.
The Shop Local Salisbury campaign centers around a Shop Local Business Directory housed on the City’s website, featuring locally owned and operated businesses, what they offer, where they are located, and more. The website allows users to select from a wide variety of categories in order to find exactly what they are looking for, all while supporting a local business. The website also has the option for users to view minority-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQ-owned, and women-owned businesses in Salisbury.
“We really wanted to do something to put the spotlight on our locally-owned businesses and all of the amazing products, services, food, and experiences that they have to offer,” shared Director of Business Development Laura Soper. “It’s important for people to realize that when they support a local business, they are starting a ripple effect of positivity in our economy and community,” she added.
The positive effects of shopping local are extensive and reach beyond what we are able to see when our items are getting rung up at the cash register. The money received by local businesses for their goods or services, for the most part, goes right back into our community. For example, local business owners employ local residents, purchase locally produced products and inventory, and give back directly to the community more than big box stores and national chains.
Local businesses are much more likely to have specialized knowledge of their field, unlike larger chains and stores, making them better equipped to help customers find exactly what they need. Locally owned and operated businesses also tend to offer more product diversity than national chains, meaning customers enjoy a more unique and personalized offering of inventory to choose from.
Shopping local even has a positive environmental impact, cutting down on energy and emissions to ship your product to your door, or to larger stores. Because many local businesses source supplies and inventory locally, energy is also saved by how little distance the product travels from supplier to business to consumer.
“It’s been almost seven months to the day since Maryland declared a state of emergency, and while it may seem like we are returning to a state of semi-normalcy, that isn’t the case for many businesses that had to alter or completely shut down operations for weeks- even months due to COVID,” shared City Administrator Julia Glanz. “It is our responsibility to support local business owners, many of whom are our neighbors, by making a commitment to shop, eat, and spend locally when possible, especially during the upcoming holiday season,” she added.
Locally owned businesses are encouraged to add their business’ information to the Shop Local Directory by visiting Salisbury.md/businessdirectory . Learn more about the benefits of shopping local, and download the Shop Local Toolkit, at Salisbury.md/shoplocal
