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I was in Sweet Peas recently and overheard a conversation about shopping online versus shopping locally. The lady shopper commented that, if she couldn’t get a discounted price shopping locally, she would just shop online.

While I am also guilty of shopping online, I think that we all need to realize we all do see huge benefits from shopping locally. The benefits may not come in single $1 or $2 increments on our receipt but the overall impact is much greater than that $1 or $2.

Shopping locally increases salaries in Hastings, the number of jobs and the offerings at those retailers. It increases sales tax collections, which increase the quality of our local infrastructure. And it encourages local investment because when the retailers we have are successful at what they do, other retailers will be interested in locating in Hastings.

We think we are proving a point by taking our business elsewhere, when we are really just determining our own destiny. If we as residents don’t choose to support the businesses we have now… we will not have any option but to shop online in the future.  And we most definitely won’t see an increase in available choices locally.

The ramifications of not shopping locally may not seem like a big deal now, but they are . And if we want to see a strong local economy for our kids, we need to take a proactive approach to supporting local businesses. If our local businesses are providing the products that you want at comparable prices and if you want to see our retail community (including restaurants) grow and thrive… shop locally.  And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, ask appropriate retailers to consider carrying it.

A much more valuable and beneficial point for you to prove is that Hastings is a place where business should be. Show those potential retailers and restaurants who are looking at Hastings that there is a population base here to support them.

Discovering the “Sole” of the Local Cobbler

I recently took two tired pairs of high heels into Dave’s Shoe Repair, 705 W 1st St.
I know… it sounds little weird to hear a member of the twenty-something generation say that she has found a reason not to go shoe shopping. Please don’t get me wrong… I love shoe shopping but it makes me feel good to take my shoes in. I feel thrifty for giving them a second chance. I feel resourceful for knowing where the shoe repair store is and I feel good about the fact that I am supporting a modern day cobbler.

I went in, set my shoes on the counter and Dave pulled a tag from a box on the counter and started to write my name. He paused and then asked me to remind him of my last name. I was bit taken aback that he would expect himself to remember my name and frankly I was complimented by the gesture. He apologized: “We get so many people in and out of here I can’t always remember.”

Sometimes it feels like customer service and buying quality products worth fixing are things of the past.  Dave has helped me to realize this is not always the case—and I hope Dave and people like him can continue to operate successful businesses like this in Hastings for years to come.

About the author: Kaleena & Matt Fong

Kaleena and Matt are twenty-somethings navigating their way through the lessons of adulthood. They are both transplants to Hastings via Hastings College and are enjoying their time as a DINK (double income no kids). Follow the Fongs as they learn the ins and outs of home ownership, a new marriage, community involvement and life in Hastings.