Import Replacement
Money spent at local businesses mostly stays in the local economy. Money spent at chain stores mostly leaves the area.
An effective way to reduce the constant leakage of wealth is import replacement. Look at the things you leave town to get, or buy from far away. Which of those could be produced locally? Consider a list of small-town businesses and other small businesses. How many customers does a given business need to succeed? Are there that many people in the service area who would like that business? A small town can grow its economy by talking about these things at a town meeting. Which things would you-all most like to add? Are you willing to help create that business and support it? How much of your food is produced locally? If you live somewhere with a growing season, you could probably do more than you are.
Conversely, what work do you do now? Can you tie that into your local town or state? Me, I write, and of the nature writing I do, a goodly portion of it is about Illinois, the Midwest, the prairie-marsh-upland forest habitats around here. Connecting to local context encourages local custom. Terramagne does better, of course: they have huge exchanges of literature that field subscriptions. You can pick up an e-reader in almost any waiting room and search for new stories from writers in your town, state, etc. -- or women, writers of color, a given genre, whatever. It creates a thriving market for local color among other things.
An effective way to reduce the constant leakage of wealth is import replacement. Look at the things you leave town to get, or buy from far away. Which of those could be produced locally? Consider a list of small-town businesses and other small businesses. How many customers does a given business need to succeed? Are there that many people in the service area who would like that business? A small town can grow its economy by talking about these things at a town meeting. Which things would you-all most like to add? Are you willing to help create that business and support it? How much of your food is produced locally? If you live somewhere with a growing season, you could probably do more than you are.
Conversely, what work do you do now? Can you tie that into your local town or state? Me, I write, and of the nature writing I do, a goodly portion of it is about Illinois, the Midwest, the prairie-marsh-upland forest habitats around here. Connecting to local context encourages local custom. Terramagne does better, of course: they have huge exchanges of literature that field subscriptions. You can pick up an e-reader in almost any waiting room and search for new stories from writers in your town, state, etc. -- or women, writers of color, a given genre, whatever. It creates a thriving market for local color among other things.