Discussions

Anyone wanna start a local revolution?

Posted by townsync • 12/04/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: community connection, food, local shopping, mcdonalds, products, real estate, starbucks, walmart

I can put myself into a certain category of person. I am someone who loves coffee but refuses to go to Starbucks, I like great shopping discounts but despise going to Walmart, and I like a quick bite every now and then but never go to McDonalds.
Do you prefer local things? Do you feel like more people should be this way?
Let's start talking about buying local - products, food, real estate, etc. - and build our local community.

User Comments

12/04/08

riverstyxxx

I think you need a really big hug instead.

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  acousticguitarist
  
  Yes a Red Panda hug
  
  and then slap your face with a panda tail
12/04/08

timethief

I have been shopping local for years now. There are very few purchases I make that require me to go beyond my local community. If you are interested in knowing why I shop local have blogged about this.

I love shopping local
The holiday shopping season is right around the corner, and locally-owned businesses want you to think of them. Local business people make an enormous and positive contribution to the quality of life in our community. The best places to bring your friends from out of town are your local restaurants and local businesses. So develop the shop local mindset spirit and protect it, especially in these tough economic times. Read the full article on how shopping local benefits communities -> thistimethisspace.com/2008/11/21/i-love-shopping-local/

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  Yeah but get this: If everyone shopped local and helped the stores become big, then they'll evolve and start up more chains. Eventually, that mom and pop store you loved is suddenly a hated and despised country-wide brand. Kinda funny, eh?
  
  I don't neither hate big business nor small business. I shop wherever it's convenient and the prices are spot on. Big business is good because without it we wouldnt have things like high tech junk, but small business are also good because they support honest wages. You pick.
12/04/08

burningwindmil

I do love the idea of shopping locally, going to each shop for its own speciality, but at the end of the day it comes down to my shrinking bank account :-(

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  timethief
  
  We all have shrinking bank accounts. The generations to come have inherited the national debt load as well as the bill for corporate bailouts, which are just beginning and will continue. Thrifty shopping is a mindset and learning how to lead a simple life based on acquisition of necessities from local providers is an important step to take. No one needs to suck back a $5.00 coffee everyday and that kind of thinking is not only deluded but also destructive and counter productive.
12/04/08

Sway

I'm in

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  timethief
  
  YAY!
12/04/08

townsync

@timethief
I read your blog post and loved it! We need more of that.

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  timethief
  
  @townsynch
  Thanks for the compliment. In the economic times we are going through it's of critical importance that we do what we can to shop local and keep the dollars & jobs & taxes in our own communities, rather than lining the deep pockets of the corpocracies.
12/04/08

LGramlich

You sound like me, to be honest. I've never gone to Starbucks, hubby & I swore off WalMart in Oct. of 2007 (& have remained true to our vow of "never again,") & I haven't eaten McDonald's in about 20 years. I've always preferred local.

[reply]
12/04/08

lotusb

Living in NYC makes keeping local easy. Local markets, local resturaunts, local produce is usually easier to get than the big mass production places.

[reply]
12/04/08

irtiza104

I DO

[reply]
12/04/08

townsync

@riverstyxxx
It's not necessarily big businesses that frustrate me. It's more franchise businesses. Let's use starbucks as an example. Someone who wants to start their own coffee shop may realize the benefits of starting a Starbucks which already has a huge following from day one. Now, because the starbucks (a name everyone recognizes - and so many seem to love) is there in town, it takes the aspect of friendly competition completely out of the equation. Now instead of competing with "Joe's Coffe Shop" the other local coffee shops are competing with Starbucks. (In the end of the story Starbucks wins)

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  Yeah but starbucks blows. Anyone who wants to pay 4.00 for a cup of coffee with a name I can't even understand deserves to have their money taken away from 'em.
12/04/08

timethief

We have an excellent coffee shop and also a tea shop in my community. Both shops are locally owned and they have great beverages for reasonable prices. They also stock yummy baked goodies made by local bakers who have commercial kitchens.

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  Three words: Corner Bakery Cafe.
  
  They have the awesomist coffee and sandwiches. And they're a pretty big chain.
12/04/08

ekim941

Barista - (Noun) A person who can charge 5 dollars for a 35 cent cup of coffee.

[reply]
12/04/08

jafabrit

We have a huge shop local campaign in our village,but even without the campaign shopping local makes more sense and most people do anyway. We have only one franchise in the village (subway) but everything else is locally owned.

I do remember living in places where shopping local was not an option due to some places losing the center of town to strip malls and franchises and getting to locally owned businesses meant driving here there and everywhere (not good idea when trying to economize on gas usage).

[reply]
12/04/08

LynneaUrania

I have gone local as much as possible. And there's an extra reason for doing so now.

Let's say the economy really does go kaput. The stock market finally drops. The dollar crashes for lack of trust in all those decades of government promises. What will get an economy moving again?

New England seems to have come up with a logical answer with Berkshire Notes. They aren't US currency. They're local notes supported by the local businesses in lieu of barter. Big chains never involved themselves in local currencies. Small entities at times do. And some will even band together as cooperating efforts.

The Berkshire Notes appear to be a viable course to take when common trade becomes unreliable or when local confidence has waned sufficiently. Goods can get circulated again, though not on a national scale. And people aren't so apt to starve. Later on, as the standard currencies finally get established again with new agreed-upon values, the local currencies get traded in, either as stock, goods, or equivalent moneys, and so get phased out.

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  timethief
  
  Several places I know have introduced local currency too. We do a lot of bartering where I live. It's a very small community.
12/04/08

cjeffrey88

Will there be any pillaging in this revolution?

[reply]
1. 12/04/08
  
  LynneaUrania
  
  It depends on the kind of revolution you really want.
12/05/08

Atorvikey

I like the idea, but how will it be different from the Yelps and Metro Mixes of the world?

[reply]
1. 12/05/08
  
  townsync
  
  What we are attempting to set up is a space where people can connect with each other, find out about business, promote their own business, search through the community, and do things that they might do in the real world locally. Unlike those other sites, everyone will have a dynamic profile page, and an extensive calendar that syncs with everyone in the community.
  Cities and metro areas are great, but we are really interested in the true communities. Small towns that already have a community dynamic will hopefully enjoy using the organizing, connecting and promotion that TS can offer.