Here are the reasons that benefit YOU:

1. You get to talk to a real person who can help you with your questions.

2. You save money on gas rather than driving out of town to malls or chain stores.

3. You save time not having to stand in lines, fight crowds or find a parking space.

4. The money you spend locally helps lower your village, town and county taxes.

There is also the ripple effect where the dollars you spend at local businesses stay in the area, tripling the impact to our communities:

1. Local businesses pay into the local economy through inventory, utilities, equipment and employer wages.

2. These dollars spent by local businesses at local businesses continue to recirculate in the community.

3. More consumer spending occurs as employees, business owners and others spend resulting income locally.

Before you shop, remember that much of the money you spend at local independent businesses is recirculated locally. When you shop at a chain store, much less is circulated locally. And when you shop online, zero percent of what you spend comes back to our local economy, unless it is a website operated by a local business.

We all need to be mindful to support our local businesses that support our sports teams, fundraisers and events, making this a great place to live and work. Thank you.