Last night I was on my way to a friend’s house & got HORRIBLY lost.  I was driving in circles, cursing Google maps for almost an hour when I finally was able to get a hold of my friend and have her talk me through getting to her house.  Yikes.  The embarrassing part was that I’ve been there before, at least several times, but I guess something didn’t stick this time; must have gotten off on the wrong exit or something.

The highlight of getting lost, however, was finding all the little mom and pop restaurants around town that I had no idea even existed!  Not that long ago, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed them.  I remember thinking awhile back how I wish I knew of a good local restaurant, upon which I gave up & went to a chain franchise instead.  However, now I’ve caught a bit of the vision of why local business is so important to our communities and local economies.

There have been many “buy local” campaigns; the photo above is from a Utah business supporting one such campaign.  The argument is that when we support local businesses, more of our money stays in our local economy, creating & strengthening jobs.  However, some economists argue that the point of a good economy is to have access to whatever goods you need, regardless of what package they come in.  While both sides make a good argument, I liked the reason I found in a Business Week article discussing Buy Local campaigns:

But many consumers choose to buy local because the intangible benefits are precisely the things they care about: vibrant downtown areas, stores with local character, and business owners who know shoppers’ names. “They find value beyond the economic value,” says Village Books’ Robinson. Now, with businesses of all sizes struggling, some independent stores are counting on buy-local campaigns to remind consumers of that value. “It gives people a reason to think about who they’re spending their money with,” says Marty Jelinski, owner of Bay City Supply, a cleaning-equipment store in Bellingham. “What do they like about Bellingham? Is it the big-box stores up on the north end of town, or some of the stores that are a little bit unique?”

I loved that spin on why supporting local business makes such a difference.  When I go to downtown Salt Lake, my heart doesn’t flutter at first sight of the gigantic Smith’s Marketplace on 4th south.  I love to go downtown because of all the unique little shops and restaraunts; those elements are the flavor of Salt Lake City.  It’s the old buildings turned into shops and eateries; the architecture preserved in the heart of downtown.  Preserving local businesses means preserving our entrepreneurial spirit.  It’s buying a cake from someone that always wanted to open a little bakery or finding a wedding dress at a small, family-owned shop, rich with history.

This is what the SassyScoops.com project is all about.  We feature local businesses, help bring out their flavor, making them more personal to our community.

What are your favorite local haunts?  What’s your take on supporting local businesses?  Why do you think it’s important?