by Corey Matsumoto

When a community’s overall health and well-being is evaluated, the strength and diversity of its local economy trumps all other factors. A community that can’t provide jobs is likely not going to keep its population. Likewise, a community consisting only of large corporate stores like Walmart, Canadian Tire, and Shoppers’ Drug Mart won’t inspire the return of tourists, who likely have exactly the same scenery at home.

A diverse, thriving local economy bustles with unique owner-operated businesses—clothing shops, delis, bakeries, cafes, shoemakers, artisans, bike shops, hardware stores, gardening centers, furniture repair shops—each with a variety of products to offer. The big-box economy that Powell River is moving towards, although attractive to thrifty consumers (I admit to being one of them), places all such shops under one roof, condensing the workforce while killing variety and service. If you’ve ever compared a shoe-shopping experience between Canadian Tire and Pagani’s, for example, you know what I mean.

Worst of all, once big-box-store economy succeeds in total domination of the markets by using its massive buying power, putting small businesses out of business, the sky could be the limit for pricing. I believe this is the Big Box end-strategy that thrifty consumers fail to foresee. As a North American society, we’re selling out our local small businesses for short-term gain—just as we’ve already done to many of our natural resources.

It is, therefore, vitally important to support our local small businesses whenever possible, even if it means paying slightly higher prices for the goods we need

The key to a thriving local business economy is simply a community that supports it. The question is, Does the general public realise the importance of supporting local small business? Furthermore, do they realise how hard it is for small business to compete with the big-box stores?

I confess to spending the majority of my life making consumer choices based solely on price. In my defense, I was brought up in the bubble of consumerism called Calgary, where life’s goal seemed to be the purchase of ever bigger and better things, into eternity. Also, I was raised, along with my sister, by a single parent, and the budget consistently preferred the cheapest choice available. It so happened that the cheapest goods, unless sold as used, were never found in the smaller local shops.

My “lowest price or bust” attitude began to change upon moving to the BC coast. I worked at a local artisan bakery in Vancouver, where I experienced the inner workings, trials, tribulations of a small business providing five-star-quality product to local restaurants, bakeries, and hotels. I realised how much work and dedication goes behind making a small business work, and how much more control over quality a hands-on process provides. This contrasted greatly with my very first job in the food industry: in Calgary, I’d worked for a multinational airline-catering company proficient at mass-produced, vitamin-deficient food with assembly-line efficiency (and dullness). So I began to question the true value of the bottom line, and came to realise that big business can’t compete with the quality and service of small business (especially when it comes to one’s personal health, quality of food should be priority #1!)

It is often more expensive to buy from local shops simply because of the economics of scale weighing heavily against them. However, it may be helpful to think of each purchase as an investment in the long-term sustainability and diversity of our local economy. Chances are, the customer service will make up for most of the price difference, and you’ll be happy to know that the money you spend locally will bounce around the local Powell River economy a little longer.
The more loonies bouncing around our local economy, the better the chances of a few bouncing back to you, your family and your friends.

The Powell River Sustainability Stakeholders’ sustainability ideal #1, “Support of local business whenever possible,” if followed by all of us, will result in a stronger, more diverse local economy. The PRSS was designed to encourage and reward shoppers who support local businesses. Buying a $20 PRSS membership will enable you not only to save many times the initial cost of the card at participating local businesses, but will also maintain Immanence Magazine as your free, independent medium and open forum for ideas and positive change.