The staples of fall for many include football, apple cider, pumpkins, and the start of the holiday shopping season. For the Chamber of Commerce, this is a great time to remind one and all that it’s important to shop local. The data is sound – including the fact that when you shop at a small locally owned business 67-cents out of every dollar stays local, while it’s just a fraction of that when shopping at a big box store.

But one of the best illustrations I’ve seen recently of how shopping locally benefits the local economy is while I was watching the children’s TV show Bluey with my young daughter. In an episode called The Marketplace, the main character Bluey lost a tooth and received a five-dollar bill from the tooth fairy, complete with an official tooth fairy sticker. The family goes to the local farmer’s market where Bluey buys a toffee apple, but then realizes she is not able to share it with her friend Indie and that she should have put it into the musician’s guitar case to request a song. Indie consoles her friend saying her mom always says, “What goes around comes around.”

Next, we see the toffee apple vendor giving the five-dollar bill to his child to buy a German sausage. The sausage vendor uses it to buy a carrot juice. The juice vendor ran out of carrots, so they buy a bag of carrots from another seller, who in turn gives the same five-dollar bill to a customer as change. That customer uses the bill at Indie’s mother’s bakery stand to buy a dessert, and Indie’s mom gives Indie the bill to put into the guitar case. Bluey and Indie are incredulous that the same five-dollar bill came back to them in the marketplace, and they dance happily together as the musician plays a tune.

This tale is a terrific illustration of the true impact of using your purchase power to support local merchants. That one five-dollar bill made a difference to each of those local vendors and customers. But as we think deeper and recall that this was a children’s television show, we realize too that our children and grandchildren are watching as we make economic choices and learning from our actions. To make a positive difference for generations to come we need to model behaviors that show the next generation how to support local business.

Encouraging shopping local and supporting local business is a key pillar of the Chamber’s work year-round. We not only build consumer awareness but also run programs like the ShopLocalCHQ.com online marketplace, providing a sales and marketing platform for local small businesses that may need help with online sales. We also run the highly successful ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card program which captures approximately $80,000 each year in consumer dollars that must be spent at one of 165 plus local businesses in Chautauqua County rather than having those dollars migrate outside the area. Please join us in being like Bluey. Shop and support local everything in the weeks and months ahead.

PLAN NOW FOR HOLIDAY GIFT CARD PURCHASES

The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card from the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce makes an ideal gift for any occasion. But they are especially helpful when your company is giving out employee gifts. It’s an easy to buy and easy to give option for anyone who lives or works in Chautauqua County. The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card is now accepted at more than 165 businesses throughout Chautauqua County. That means it can be used for retail purchases, at restaurants, or for some great experiences all over our county. Whether the card holder wants to buy something special like jewelry or home goods, or something as routine as groceries, the card is just the right item to have in any wallet. Cards can be in an amount from $5 to $500, making it a simple option for multiple gifts. To learn more about how your company can purchase ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards call Carrie Swanson at the Chamber of Commerce at (716) 484-1101 ext. 201 or visit www.shoplocalchqcard.com to find a downloadable order form.

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS AT 21 BRIX WINERY OCTOBER 27

Networking is crucial for businesspeople, no matter what their workplace. When you get to know others on a personal and professional level, you are enhancing opportunities for sales and potentially increasing your supply chain, workforce, and more. The Chamber of Commerce helps to highlight local businesses in the room during our Business After Hours events. These can be very helpful for every business as individuals meet with others in a comfortable setting. The next one will be held October 27 at 21 Brix Winery on West Main Road in Portland from 5-6:30pm. The Chamber’s Business After Hours events are purposely held at a variety of locations countywide and designed for businesspeople to pop in quickly following their workday, meet some people and enjoy a quick beverage and snack, and then head to dinner or home afterwards. Chamber member businesses can send two people at no charge, and non-members or anyone above the first two pay just $10 per person. Admission includes appetizers, a cash bar, a chance for door prizes when you submit your business card, and great opportunities for networking with other local businesspeople. Business After Hours at 21 Brix is sponsored by 21 Brix Winery, Brooks-TLC Hospital System, DFT Communications, Media One Radio Group, National Grid, OBSERVER, and The Post-Journal. Advanced registration helps us plan enough appetizers, but walk-ins are welcome. To register in advance, visit our online web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org.

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS AT SOUTHERN TIER BREWING NOVEMBER 8

A long-time favorite in our Business After Hours series is held at Southern Tier Brewing Company at 2072 Stoneman Circle, Lakewood. After a couple of years off, this great event is back this year, to be held Tuesday, November 8 from 5-6:30pm. Space is limited so we strongly recommend early registration. Walk-ins will be accepted if there is room available. Business After Hours at Southern Tier Brewing is sponsored by Southern Tier Brewing Company, Brooks-TLC Hospital System, DFT Communications, LaBella Associates, Media One Radio Group, National Grid, OBSERVER, and The Post-Journal. Learn more or register online through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org.