The first four days of Buying Locally
by Mike - October 6, 2008 9:15pm
So far, shopping at local businesses has been easy for some items, impossible for others.
Friday I had lunch at Dalat, a Vietnamese restaurant at 425 Park Ave that’s not listed as local by Worcester Local First but is “local enough for my purposes.”
Then I went grocery shopping at the Artichoke Food Coop on Main Street, where I picked up apples, garlic, ground cherries, a pepper (most of this from Vermont), bok choy, tempeh, chips, salsa, canned tomatoes, and a frozen loaf of bread. The Artichoke is about as local as it gets, selling locally-grown food whenever possible, sometimes even food grown at urban gardens within walking distance!
Saturday I went to a little festival in Hardwick where I donated money to a couple groups but didn’t do any shopping. And on Sunday I stopped by the Artichoke for a snack, as well as throwing a couple bucks in the collection plate at my church. I had dinner at the Catholic Worker (also local) and noticed that Park Print is so proud of belonging to Worcester Local First that they have the logo on their labels:
Today, Monday, I’ve decided I need a new winter coat and a couple external hard drives, none of which I think I can buy at locally-owned stores. I’d also like to buy some cheap specialty vitamins. Normally I would order this online, or stop by a mall. What to do?
Mike Benedetti was born in Glen Dale, West Virginia, and is an Eagle Scout.
So what’s the word on the Living Earth? Are they local? Seems that would make this a bit easier.
What makes something count as WLF?
WLF is a group you join that encourages people to buy from a local retailers, instead of say, Walmart. They have a booklet that shows you where you can buy all sorts of things. There is a fee to join, and that allows them to publish the book and distribute it.
@linnea: Still no idea about Living Earth, tho I would presume they’re local. They’ve reduced the size of the grocery section by about half, but they still have about 50 times as many items as the Artichoke. (These #s are my personal guesses.)
@Anon: The membership form in the great Worcester Local First business guide asks five yes-or-no questions:
1. My business is privately held, not publicly traded.
2. The business owners, totalling greater than 50% of the business ownership, live in Massachusetts.
3. My business is based in Worcester and has no corporate or national headquarters outside the state.
4. My business can make independent decisions regarding the name and look of the business, as well as all business purchasing practices and distribution.
5. My business pays all marketing, rent, and other business expenses without assistance from a corporate headquarters.
Members also pay a $100/year fee, and get a sticker they can put in their window.
Okay, then my suggestion on a coat wouldn’t work. I was going to suggest checking out what is usually a great selection at the Salvation Army, but they certainly have national headquarters.
@tracy: I wonder if Catholic things are considered “local” or “extremely global” by these measures. Because the Little Store on Chandler Street is pretty well under local control, and has all the positives for the local economy that you could want, but is also connected with the diocese, I think.