Local businesses are essential to the quality of life found throughout many of the nations cities. This holds true for Downtown Brighton. Local businesses offer quality, personalized service, unique products, and economic benefits to the community that larger firms cannot offer. Many well-documented studies have been done to help illustrate the importance of local independent businesses to a community's economy and quality of life.
The Anderson Development Corporation sponsored one such study. The task was to evaluate the economic impact that a local independent business has on the community's economy verses the impact of a larger chain business. The results were significant. Civic Economics, the firm who conducted the study, found that for every $100 in revenue brought in by a local business, $68 was reinvested in the local economy versus $43 by chain businesses. They were also able to determine the financial impact by square footage. The positive local economic impact per square foot by a local business was $179 versus $105 by a chain business. (See tables below).
(Source: http://www.civiceconomics.com/Andersonville/AndersonvilleStudy.pdf)
There is a very clear reason for these results. Typically, local businesses use other local businesses for various support services such as accounting, marketing, legal, and much more. On the other hand, the opposite is true for chain businesses. A chain business answers to a corporate headquarters that supplies these support services. Therefore, this practice results in lost revenue for the local economy.
The positive impact of a local business on the economy is vast and typically includes higher employee wages, higher average charitable contributions per employee, and the list goes on.
For more information, the City of Brighton PSD Board of Directors encourages you to investigate some of the following links. These links provide enlightening information to consumers interested in sustaining the quality of life currently found throughout their community. Please enjoy.
"A Selection of Informative Titles on the Importance of Building and Strengthening a Vibrant Local Economy"
(Source: http://www.bookweb.org/graphics/pdfs/LIST.PDF)
LIST.pdf
Independent America
Full-length documentary chronicling a married couples road trip across the country in search of “Independent America.” 13,000 miles of road and two rules: 1) No interstates and 2) can only do business with independents. No McDonalds. No Best Westerns. No Wal-Marts. Check out the movie trailer.
http://www.civiceconomics.com/Andersonville/html/reports.html
Where We Shop and Why It Matters
How does shopping shape our landscape? Listen to Smart City interview with Stacy Mitchell and Steve Bercu. Mitchell is the author of "The Hometown Advantage" and Steve Bercu is president of BookPeople, a big independent bookstore in Austin. http://www.smartcityradio.com/smartcityradio/past_shows.cfm?showsmartcityID=155&PageNum_getsmartshows=14
The Andersonville Study
http://www.civiceconomics.com/Andersonville/html/reports.html
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
http://www.livingeconomies.org
National Federation of Independent Businesses
http://www.nfib.com
American Independent Business Alliance
http://www.amiba.net
Other Links of Interest
http://www.livingeconomies.org/resources/links
| 
