Buy Local Means Buying Smart

Hudson, NY - Mother's Day is two weeks away. Close behind is Father's Day as well as graduation day, from pre-schoolers through those who've earned an advanced college degree. And June is traditionally the time for weddings.

Burdened by the difficulty of finding just that perfect gift? Worry no more. Think global, but buy local. The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce reminds residents and visitors alike to think first of local retailers when considering any purchase.

Columbia County has a treasure trove of shops. Main Street in Chatham , for instance, is lined with stores that specialize in customer service along with great variety. In just a single block a shopper can find baby and children's toys, jeans and shirts, shoes, clothes for children and dresses for women, interesting and useful gifts for the home, jewelry, wine and liquor, books on a wide range of subjects, and hand-made chocolates.

In that same one block radius are no less than five places to stop for a bite of lunch, latte, ice cream or local brew, before heading on to browse the next shop.

As gas prices soar, Buy Local is an even sounder economic decision. At $3/gallon and rising, it makes little sense to drive to a distant mall, particularly when there are so many good shopping options right here in Columbia County .

And, of course, on all purchases made here in the county, half of the 8% sales tax stays right here – to help plow and pave our roads, pay our police, and provide care for our sick and elderly. In 2006, $31.6 million in sales tax stayed right here, to help pay the county's $126 million operating budget. Without that sales tax revenue, local county property taxes would have virtually doubled.

“There are approximately 24,000 households in Columbia County ,” points out David Colby, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. “If every household spends just $200 in taxable purchases out-of-county during the course of a year, it represents $192,000 in lost sales tax revenue for Columbia County and its municipalities. That means $192,000 that must be raised through property taxes. So it truly pays dividends to Buy Local.”

While Hudson has a justly deserved national reputation as an art and antiques center, its shops are also full of stylish men's and women's clothes, beautiful items for the home from all over the world, books and local ale, local herbal teas as well as the latest jewelry designs. The dining options are just as varied, with several ethnic restaurants as well as American food, a focus on locally grown ingredients, and mix of prices.

Over and over again, one hears the owners of these local shops talking about how special their products are. “The clothing in my store is very different from the big stores like Macy's,” says Paul de Marchin, who owns a men's and women's clothing store in Hudson by the same name. “I work with small designers. I'm willing to take a risk on new designs. I sell clothing that has an edge.”

Lynne Michael, owner of American Pie in Chatham , also works hard to provide customers with an interesting mix at her contemporary general store. “It has individuality, character, as well as items that are very useful,” she says.

Different lines than the large stores, higher quality and unusual designs are also the hallmarks of buying from Rita Van Alstyne of R H Van Alstyne fine jewelry in Chatham . “I try to buy American. Most of what I buy is not made in Asia . Understanding the ecology of it is important,” she adds.

Kim Bach of Verdigris Art & Tea in Hudson follows the Buy Local dictum herself. While she carries many international teas among the 115 varieties she sells, she also takes pride in buying local herbal teas and all her pastries and baked goods come from a 20-mile radius. Open only seven months, she chose Hudson because she loves its energy and the mix of natives and newcomers.

The economic ripple effect, beyond the direct tax benefits, is critical when considering where to shop. American Pie, for example, employs nine people part-time, including several high school and college students as well as mothers. Owner Ms. Michael is particularly proud of one employee who started when she was 14 years old and is entering her senior year in college in the fall. “I helped put her through college,” says Ms. Michael.

Ms. Van Alstyne says her shop supports five employees as well as herself. But she looks beyond the staff to all the peripheral businesses she, in turn, supports – the window washer, accountant, bookkeeper, alarm system company, cleaner, even the ads she places in the local newspapers. “The trickle-down effect is very real,” she notes.

Buying Local also means preserving communities – from New Lebanon, Kinderhook and Valatie to Philmont, Hillsdale and Copake. For it is these locally owned, specialty shops that help give each community its character. Without them, we are left with the sterilization of our towns, surrounded instead by big box retailers and chain fast food restaurants where local is swallowed up by national branding.

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce encourages you to benefit yourself and the local economy by buying local.  To view our list of local businesses go to columbiacountychamber-ny.com.  For more information call 828-4417.