It was 1982, and another postcard perfect spring morning in Leesburg, Florida.  My brother and I were owners of a small independent supermarket directly accross the street from a much larger Publix (the nation's highest rated chain in customer satisfaction for the last 15 years*).  I was also the produce manager.

A slender man, well in his 80's, wearing suspenders and a pageboy cap, pushed a shopping cart full of beautiful, fresh spring onions tied in large bunches with twine.  He told me his name was Mr. Matthews and that the previous manager had always bought his onions whenever he brought them in.  Before I could give him an answer, a woman dug two bunches out of the cart and asked how much they were.  He told me what they used to sell for and I quickly made a sign, adding his name at the top.  The rest of the afternoon, people came in, all seemed to know Mr. Matthews, and proceeded to buy all of his onions.   

   

I didn't realize it, but I had just claimed local.

This continued as long as Mr. Matthews had onions.  Better yet, the word got out that I bought from local farmers (something Publix can't do), and before long, I had about 60 farmers bringing their beautiful, fresh hand-picked fruits and vegetables to my back door.  I got to know them, and always gave them credit on my signs, sharing their stories whenever the opportunity arose.

 

Their good name is your advantage.

Soon I had customers telling me that they still shopped at Publix, but stopped at our store first to buy my produce.  My sales and profits steadily increased, because I was buying better quality cheaper than the products available from my commercial channels. Putting their names on their products established instant trust -- there's pride in ownership --and customers crave the opportunity to 

get their hands on anything they know is local or homegrown.

Your good name is even more important. 

Angie and Bruno, a sweet older couple -- neither much over 5' tall --

owned a small Ma & Pa health food store.  And that's what they called it -- The Health Food Store.  

I was called in to help because a much larger natural food supermarket was coming soon only a few blocks away.

They had a loyal following because they gave such great service, and I helped them make several improvements to their store.  But I shared my biggest concern with them, that even though they were the original in town, they hadn't claimed their turf.  After their competitior opened,

if someone asked their customers where they shopped for health foods, and they answered The Health Food Store, would they look for their competitor instead?  They took my suggestion and named their store Angie's Health Foods, and did quite well in the new competitive environment. Years later when I saw them at trade shows, they always thanked me for insisting on putting her name on their store.

 

It works for Everyone.

Claiming local gave me one clear advantage over Publix, but they have many ways to claim local too.  Publix has also been voted one of the top companies in the U.S. to work for, they partner with local businesses and charities, and because they are one of the largest employers in the community, they have a strong hometown credibility.

 

It works for Everything.

In 1997 the Moersch family made a daring move to transport and
rebuild a turn-of-the century Amish round barn from rural Indiana to their winery and vineyard in Baroda, Michigan. 

Beautiful and unique, the barn quickly became the vineyard's iconic landmark.  With the popularity of their new building, the Moerschs changed their name from Heart of the Vineyard to the Round Barn Winery.
Taking advantage of what is theirs and no one else's, every label features the whimsical illustration of the Round Barn in their logo and they further claim local by adding Lake Michigan Shore to their finest varietals.

 

Local is Everywhere.                                           (But you have to claim it)                                     We all have something we can use as our local advantage.  You have to identify the source -- put a name on it and tell the story to build trust with your customers.