Giving to Local Business Gives Back
Hop over a fence.
Walk a bit further.
Inconvenience yourself.
When you go out of your way, people will go out of their way for you.
The barriers can be literal. Summer construction season can make it more difficult to get to smaller local shops. Parking isn’t always convenient. It takes time to make multiple stops to get what you need, compared with shopping at a supercentre or shopping online with delivery to your door.
I’ve been on the Local Beat since the publication launched last year. Since then, I’ve met with more than 40 local business owners to find out more about what they do – and how you can earn Local Dollars when you shop with them.
Time and again, they tell me how meaningful it is to provide a valued service for their customers.
Belinda Bigold kept High Tea Bakery open during renovations, when it would have been easier to shut off the ovens until they were complete.
La Belle Baguette’s Alix Loiselle makes croissants in the middle of the night in order to ensure quality to be able to offer seasonal varieties that would be impossible to find anywhere else.
The Acorn Café and Generation Green stay true their ecological roots and provide vegan options, while helping others on their journey by answering their questions and encouraging personal growth.
Gorilla Jack’s Martin Pacak is thoughtful in the shop’s approach to providing a place for men to find the support they need in an unexpected place.
The Public General Store’s Erin Ahl and Olena Kozel make sure people have the comfort of a neighbourhood shop where they can buy Canadian goods that are good for the environment.
Writing their stories is rewarding. Merchants have been generous with their time, and okay with having their picture taken, too (nearly everyone’s least favourite part).
This work has taken me back to the early days of my career as community reporter.
My first reporting job was at a daily newspaper in my hometown of Devils Lake, ND.
I found community again when I moved to Winnipeg to join my husband here more than 25 years ago and landed a job writing about people and events for the community newspapers.
As the years went by, I moved from community reporting to writing for magazines, advertising agencies and for corporate communications. Writing for the Local Beat feels like full circle.
It’s been wonderful to meet local merchants. Their energy and passion for what they do is boundless. Don’t let a few boundaries get in your way to meet them.
Sure, you’ll earn local dollars for yourself. But you’ll also secure a place in a community.
Local Frequency app users, do you have a local story to share about your experience at one of our member merchants? Who should I meet next? Drop me a line at hello@thelocalfrequency.com
Photo of Erin & Olena by Kristhine Guerrero. All other photos by Claudine Gervais
