gift
Companion Planting Guide by World Permaculture Association
will be released to subscribers in: soon!
  • Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • r ranson
  • Carla Burke
  • Nancy Reading
  • John F Dean
  • Jay Angler
  • paul wheaton
stewards:
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Burra Maluca
  • Joseph Lofthouse
master gardeners:
  • Timothy Norton
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin
  • Nina Surya

Supporting a Local Business Beyond Making Purchases

 
gardener
Posts: 1400
Location: Tennessee
907
homeschooling kids urban books writing homestead
  • Likes 9
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
My small city (pop. 20,000) has a bunch of chain grocery and big box stores, and more moving in all the time.

But--locally-owned shops are also opening here several times a year, including, just down the street from me, a local market. They sell a small variety of local products there, but particularly a two-miles-away-farmer's grass-fed beef--all cuts, labelled and packaged and ready-to-go.

Obviously this is going to be my only source for all beef products from now on--but my purchases are going to run to only $20 or so per week. I can't spend $100s there to keep them open long-term, but I would like to do more for their business.

What are other ways to help keep them open?
 
pollinator
Posts: 144
Location: Oklahoma Panhandle
29
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Keep doing what you are doing!  Do business with them at your level and mention them to locals like you did to us here.  Good job!
 
steward and tree herder
Posts: 9461
Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year
4516
4
transportation dog forest garden foraging trees books food preservation woodworking wood heat rocket stoves ungarbage
  • Likes 11
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Exactly what Bryan said. You can only buy what you need, but it all helps. Buy what you can, let friends and neighbours know what a great product it is (obviously if appropriate).
Be a nice customer - talk to the staff and let them know how great they are! Feedback on the product. If there is something that would be better for you - bigger/smaller packs, different packaging, delivery, whatever - let them know. Most small businesses are operating on guesswork and don't have a marketing expert. Be a tidy customer, if there's a spill let them know discretely.
I suppose you might be able to advertise on their behalf. In terms of telling friends and neighbours, social media can be a powerful tool, so if there is a local FB page or other local online noticeboard you could share your positive experiences there. Share any media they make online: FB, instagram, whatever. It's hard to get heard on these platforms if you don't have the volume, so local ones will probably be more powerful. If there isn't a local online magazine then maybe you could be the one that starts one.
I don't need to preach to the converted, but shopping locally really does help the local economy. The big guys won't even notice you, but you make all the difference in the world to the small guys like me.

(My little store)
 
gardener
Posts: 828
Location: Central Indiana, zone 6a, clay loam
592
forest garden fungi foraging trees urban chicken medical herbs ungarbage
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
You probably already thought of this, but you could ask them if there's any particularly helpful ways to support them beyond buying more. I think word of mouth is really the best advertising, so obviously that. Social media like nextdoor could be good. Leaving glowing reviews, if they have somewhere to do that.

I've found sharing the food from farmers quite effective at getting people to start buying it themselves. For example, last time I had a meal with my family, I cooked and made a point to talk up the local, sustainably raised meat and the farmer I get it from. My family almost never says anything about stuff I cook. They were all raving about how good the meat was and loading up on seconds. You could do similar if you're sharing a meal with friends or family anyways. Of course, that might not even be necessary if people are already interested in finding better quality food. Just the mention might be enough.
 
Posts: 502
Location: West Midlands UK (zone 8b) Rainfall 26"
140
  • Likes 7
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
If you have a local restaurant where you like to eat, you could mention how good the beef from this shop is.  That could get them another customer but also exponentially additional ones from the restaurant's customers.  
 
master steward
Posts: 7296
Location: southern Illinois, USA
2654
goat cat dog chicken composting toilet food preservation pig bee solar wood heat homestead
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Post positive reviews everywhere you can.
 
master pollinator
Posts: 5290
Location: Canadian Prairies - Zone 3b
1450
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
See if your local business can bring in orders of bulk or restaurant-size foodstuffs for you. If you trust them, put down a 50% deposit. They can probably give you a price that competes with the big boys since they know they don't have to stock it and wait for a buyer.
 
Nancy Reading
steward and tree herder
Posts: 9461
Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year
4516
4
transportation dog forest garden foraging trees books food preservation woodworking wood heat rocket stoves ungarbage
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

John F Dean wrote:Post positive reviews everywhere you can.



This I think is increasingly valuable in this digital age. We may moan about the power of google, but I believe that having a good google rating and reviews makes a lot of visitors to our island stop and shop with us, whom previously would have driven past, not even knowing we were here.
 
Posts: 27
Location: Coastal Alaska
10
purity foraging medical herbs sheep
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Tell your friends, tell your coworkers, tell your neighbors, tell tourists.

Word of mouth is still very valuable.

People come into my store everyday because someone told them about it.
 
That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I think a piece of pie wouldn't kill me. Tiny ad:
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic