Buffalo Bucks: The Whys and Hows of Shopping Locally

By Ben Siegel

This article appeared in the November/December issue of Block Club Magazine.

Amy Kedron doesn’t know where to start.  Ask her what she’s up to these days, and she consults her internal Blackberry, a list rolling through her head of who she’s about to meet with, what business owner she has to visit, which band will perform at the fundraising event she’s planning, what brochure she has to proofread.  It’s a list that grows exponentially day by day, e-mail by e-mail, phone call by phone call; a working mode many endure but few can master.

For her constituents, the local independent business owners she works with as executive director of Buffalo First, her sense of organization is one that’s met with passion and determination for local economic success.  The not-for-profit organization was formed by Kedron as a way to promote the attitudes and ideals that, in turn, promote local economic growth.

She says it starts with community.

“Our local community-based businesses are really the roots of our community.  They keep us grounded in so many ways.  It’s one of the few ways we can keep wealth within the community,” says Kedron.

Money is a key ingredient in maintaining a growing economy, though Buffalo First strives for a more comprehensive approach to civic health.

“When you have businesses rooted in the community you can respond to issues in that community better.  They are in touch with what’s going on in their community, right outside their doors,” says Kedron.  “They are probably in touch with the people of that neighborhood more than the local politicians.”

The association between the customer and storeowner means a great deal to a thriving local economy, financially and civically.  This relationship is something that does not often occur without a locally driven mentality and a dense urban area, Kedron says.

“It insures accessibility.  Anyone can walk into one of these businesses and ask to speak to the owner, and probably get a meeting with the owner.  Which is essential in a time when we’re trying to create a green living environment and a more community-focused environment.  And we’ve gotten away from that in the past 60 years of our economic development.”

Local focal point

For a business to qualify as “local and independent,” as outlined by the Buffalo First mandate in ordinance with those set by the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), they must meet the following requirements:

1.  Businesses must be privately held, not traded on the stock market.
2.  Fifty percent of their ownership must live in the Buffalo area.
3.  They must be registered and headquartered in New York State, subject to state law.
4.  They must be able to make independent decisions.
5.  The business must pay all of its own expenses.

Shopping at stores that fulfill these requirements opens doors to many benefits for both business owner and customer.  In business terms, it means locally earned dollars are being siphoned back into local pockets, something corporately owned “big box” stores don’t provide.

“Generally, when you shop locally three times more of your money stays locally.  Because that business owner lives there, he or she is paying employees, taxes.  That money gets pushed back into the community more and more.

“When you shop at a big publicly traded corporation in the form of a chain store, that business is owned by shareholders.  Most of the profits will go to corporate headquarters and then shareholders’ pockets, who then make decisions about making profit. So the decisions they make don’t necessarily represent the community’s best interest,” says Kedron.

The corporate business model is one that occupies much of the national retail market and shopping mentality of its customers.  Breaking free from that vice requires local marketplaces that have sustainable local business efforts, and Buffalo is a goldmine according to Buffalo First’s findings.

“Buffalo is really lucky because we still have a lot of our local businesses.  If you go to a lot of southern cities they don’t have that anymore because there was this push for economic development for the last 60 years.  In a lot of southern cities the only options for restaurants are Applebee’s and T.G.I.Fridays.  So [local, independent businesses] enhance your local history, your local culture.”

As any Western New York supporter is keen on advertising, the strength of this region is the people if its economy is its weakness.

“We’re in the City of Good Neighbors.  People always are so impressed by how friendly this city is and how helpful we are to one another.  That may have something to do with our industrial past,” says Kedron.  “And it helps this mission along.”

Kedron is apt to point out that the goals of Buffalo First are not to oppose national retailers or to detract shoppers from patronizing them.

“This is by no means, certainly not a boycott,” she says.  “But we want people to think of the value of community businesses and maybe considering shopping locally first.  We say, ‘Buffalo First’ not ‘Buffalo Only.’”

This is a case of seeing the forest for the trees.

“We’re not anti-corporation.  We are pro-diverse economies, economies of scale.  You’re not supposed to but all your eggs in one basket.”

But shopping baskets are another thing, if the upcoming Buy Buffalo Week and Bash have anything to do with it.

A Bash in Babeville

Understanding and even believing in these criteria and benefits does not necessarily equal proactive action, which is where Buffalo First’s fundraising efforts first entered the picture.  Buy Buffalo Week, during which participating businesses offer discounts and special offers, promotes those companies that contribute to the organization’s efforts.

This season’s Buy Buffalo Week will take place Nov. 17 to 24 and will kick off with the Buy Buffalo Bash on Nov. 14 at Babeville at The Church.  Both events are becoming a local tradition and hope to attract shoppers who would normally venture to national retailers.

“It will span two weekends and one of those weekends is the largest shopping day of the year – Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving – where everyone flocks to the suburbs and the malls to spend a lot of money,” Kedron says. “And you know, everyone wants a good deal, but they don’t realize all that money they’re spending is going out of the community.”

This season’s will be the third Buy Buffalo Week and the second Buy Buffalo Bash.  Last year businesses offered special incentives to customers, including one store that gave away a trip to Ireland.  “Businesses went all out to get people to shop locally.”

Patrons attending the Bash can expect table prizes from local businesses (over $2,000 in goods and services were donated last year) and food from local restaurants.  Buffalo gypsy jazz band Babik will perform and WBFO personality Gabe DiMaio will emcee.  The second run of the Buffalo First directory will also be distributed, giving shoppers a one-stop reference point to some of the local independent businesses in town.

“We’re hoping to make this a Buffalo tradition where people get excited about all the fun benefits they might get just by walking into these businesses,” says Kedron.  Already it’s a mainstay of local holiday festivities.  “We will certainly do this every holiday shopping season.”

Logo and artwork courtesy David Courtney.

Buy Buffalo Week
Nov. 17-24
Support local independent businesses by buying local.  Get discounts and win prizes from local retailers!  Store directories will be made available online soon.

Buy Buffalo Bash
Wed., Nov. 14
6-10 p.m.
Babeville at The Church
341 Delaware Ave.  (Corner of West Tupper)
$12 presale, $15 at the door
Includes for first drink and all-you-can-eat food
Performance by Babik

Buffalo First

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)

Posted by on 11/12 at 05:31 PM