The “Shop Local 365” campaign launched in September, encouraging communities across central Illinois to build a vibrant and more sustainable region by shopping local 365 days a year. The culmination of recent efforts by community leaders from Peoria, East Peoria, Washington, Pekin and Morton, the campaign stresses the importance of shopping locally versus online by showing the direct impact local tax dollars have on city and county services.
“When you spend your dollars at a local store, you are being served by a neighbor who is getting a wage that they in turn can spend in the area,” explains Chris Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council (EDC). “You are helping a local business owner turn a profit so he or she can hire more people or reinvest in their company. When you shop online, 100 percent of your money leaves the community.”
The EDC notes that the act of shopping local can no longer be relegated to the holidays, as simply novelty or a charitable act to small business owners. Residents must think local first—with every purchase, every day of the year. Working across city and county lines, the Shop Local 365 team hopes to build a critical mass of “citizen-consumers” that consider shopping local a tenet of their personal code and a defining feature of their regional identity.
To learn more, visit shoplocal365.co, where any interested organization can tap into the shareable logo and other brand and marketing pieces. Follow the campaign on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ShopLocal365. For more information or to join the Shop Local 365 team, email [email protected]. iBi
