Support your local businesses

Posted on October 27, 2021 by 40 Mile Commentator

Small businesses are the life blood of small communities, and we think that’s a fairly undeniable fact. Without small businesses and people with dreams — most small communities would have a hard time thriving. Our local businesses are important, and with COVID having such an impact on them it’s important now more than ever to remember to buy local and support those small businesses.

There is no lying that COVID has been a dream-crusher for some — if not many — and many businesses are having a hard time staying afloat. Regulations change seemingly daily, and every-time there has been a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel we are currently stuck in; we take one step forward and five steps back.

Small businesses are integrally important to the health and growth of small communities. Firstly, they pay taxes to the municipal government which allows for more initiatives to be funded. Keeping amenities close also raises the attraction of a small community. The less travel we have to do just to meet our basic needs, the better. We don’t want to constantly drive to bigger centres just to go shopping — and we’re sure you don’t either. Buying local also allows businesses to cut down their prices and sell things cheaper than they’re normally able to. If a business is failing — they have to up their prices in an effort to make ends meet. It’s hard to sell low when you have an already dwindling clientele.

Finally — supporting these small, local businesses aids in keeping the dreams of their owners alive. We all have dreams, for some it is to travel the world while for others it’s to go into space. These owners took a chance on our community to help support their dream while also providing for and giving back to their community. We should help keep their dreams alive by buying local as much as we can to help support our small businesses during this tough, uncertain time.

And shopping local doesn’t mean you can only buy from businesses in your community — it just means making an effort to support your neighbours whenever you can.

And that’s what it’s all about — doing your part to help the community as best as you can.

So, during this Small Business Week in Alberta, make sure to check in with your favourite small businesses to see what they have to offer and support them.

Let’s get through this tough time together.