Chamber Weekly eBlast

1. Support Yourself: Studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned business, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms, thus strengthening the economic base of your community.

2. Keep Crested Butte Unique: Where we shop, where we eat and where we have fun is what makes our community our home. One-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the character of Crested Butte. They're a major reason why we're here and why tourists come to visit.

3. Enhance Community Well-Being: Locally owned businesses build strong neighborhoods by sustaining communities, linking neighbors and contributing to local causes. Local ownership means that important decisions are made by people who live here and are locally accountable for their decisions.

4. Encourage Local Character and Prosperity: Business owners are your neighbors, families and friends. Most of them live here, shop here and send their children to school here. They are less likely to leave and more invested in your community.

5. Keep Dollars in the Local Economy: Put your tax dollars to good use and see them in action. Of every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 remains in the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. An increase in local sales tax means more funding for town projects and services, infrastructure, parks and recreation and education.

6. Sustain the Environment: Crested Butte's stores and services are already here and they're close. Utilizing local resources reduces environmental impact by saving time and gas and reducing air and water pollution.

7. Support Your Community Organizations: Non-profits receive on average three times greater support from smaller, locally owned businesses than they do from larger businesses. Non-profits are a vital part of your community, improving the quality of life for everyone.

8. Receive Better Customer Service: Locals hire locals, who have a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers and their needs.

9. Promote Better Jobs and Wages: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and, in your community, account for the majority of jobs. On average, they provide better wages and benefits than chains.

10. Get What You Need: A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, provides a broad range of product choices that fit your needs.