Introduction to 10 Reasons to Shop Local in Markham
Markham is one of the largest cities in York Region. With a population of over 355,000 people, there are HUNDREDS of small businesses providing services and goods for residents. Surely this ’10 reasons to shop local in Markham’ page isn’t necessary?!
Except that people do find it challenging to shop locally. It’s understandable – Amazon shopping is SO easy. Click a button and hey presto! Your goods appear on your doorstep before the end of the next day. Get in the car, drive 20-minutes down to Bed, Bath & Beyond or some other big box store where there is a huge amount of choice – you just know you will find what you want. On the way home, drive into Starbucks and you don’t even have to get out of your car to be handed a delicious latte made with your favourite Peruvian coffee beans with almond milk and frothed just to your liking – extra hot.
Oh man! We have got it down to a fine art haven’t we? Online shopping, grocery delivery, coffee & fast food on the go – we have saved so much time and money! Well, maybe. Maybe not. Come and see what we have in this bag of surprises!
Most people already kind of know that shopping closer to home benefits the community and other people. But did you know that it benefits you more than you think? Here are some reasons why.
1. You financially benefit from shopping local.
For every $100 spent locally, $45 will stay in the community and $9 will stay in the province. This means that local businesses will be paying more taxes and putting money into the region which will create more revenue for the local city to spend on amenities for you and your neighbours.
If you spend the same $100 online or at an international corporation – $14 stays in the community – mostly towards someone’s payroll. Everything else goes to the corporation and out of the country altogether. It’s gone. You get nothing else from your purchase. Zilch. Diddly squat. Nada.
2. You save money. Yes, you do.
Local businesses do not have quite the large overheads that large chain stores have, they may also negotiate prices. Also, if you consider how you save on gas and time to get to a large store or how much time you spend returning online goods that were not what you were expecting – it makes WAY more sense to buy local.
3. You have more CHOICE.
Your local businesses will be more interested in meeting your needs. If you tell them what you want, they have a vested interest in making sure they can supply to you. So talk to them, email them, call them, answer their questionnaires or simply chat to the owners while you are shopping – they will be falling over themselves to help you!
4. You will live longer by shopping local – yes, you will.
Did you know that people with a wider scope of community connections generally LIVE LONGER? Yep. There is scientific evidence that if you spend time talking to people outside your family and friend group – it elongates your life. It has even more impact on your lifespan than eating healthily or exercising. That includes chatting to the people who provide you with services and your local shopkeepers!
Knowing your local community small business owners has other advantages too. They are the people who can connect you with the people you may need, not just for other services and goods – but also perhaps for jobs, for help for your community or charity project, for help with persuading the city to give to the causes close to your heart…….the possibilities here are endless.
So don’t be an island – we all need help at some time or another……build some connections by shopping local!
5. You will have an expert on your doorstep.
Local business owners are usually experts in their field. They have spent thousands of hours doing what they do. You have access to that expertise and most business owners go out of their way to give you answers to help you navigate any problems you are experiencing.
So those are the personal reasons you should shop local – but what about the less personal reasons? If you are someone who cares about others then carry on reading to find out the rest of the 10 reasons to shop local in Markham!
6. You will create jobs.
More than ever, people are hurting from COVID-19 lockdowns, closures, loss of jobs. Small businesses are closing left, right and centre. This is a GREAT time to increase your support of local businesses. Not only do you help small business owners feed their families, but they will also be able to employ more people as their business grows. This helps local people find jobs that are more likely to pay way better than international corporations. More jobs will create growth in your area, your community. Encourage people you know to do the same and see the difference you make in your neighbourhood.
7. Giving begets giving.
People who run businesses in a community are usually passionate about that community and spend a lot of time nurturing that community – research shows that they support other local businesses and local charities at twice the rate of chain stores.
8. Less leaking of money out of your community
Buying local doesn’t create more money, but it does stop money from leaving the community. When money leaves the community it is called ‘leakage’. Yes, we know we made that point earlier! However, local business owners truly understand the need to shop locally. Because of this, they usually shop locally themselves. This decreases leakage of money even more.
9. You will be kinder to the environment
Shopping local reduces the amount of time you are in your car! Or maybe you can even walk to local stores or use a bike. However you get there you are going to be doing the environment a favour by shopping closer to home! Refraining from ordering online will also be using less fuel for shipping and less packaging. It’s a complete win win for the environmentally friendly!
10. You will be creating a community where everyone will want to be.
Last but not least – is the BIG ONE. The more small businesses that serve a community will add to your area’s uniqueness. People LOVE unique places to shop and visit. This means that more people will be attracted to come and live or visit. This not only brings more money into your community, but it also increases the VALUE of your community and will increase the value of homes there. If you are a homeowner, you should definitely shop local!
Conclusion – How to find what you want in Markham
So how do you find all that you want in Markham? We have made it easy for you to do that! Click on our Shop Markham page (COMING VERY SOON!) and you will find a whole list of small businesses eager to help you! Go on – have a look! Don’t forget to BOOKMARK it for future reference!
HAPPY SHOPPING!
