Old habits die hard

<sigh> Old habits die hard.

Almost two months ago, I realized that supporting our locally owned and operated businesses can mean more than just stopping in a local business once in awhile. Every Saturday, I buy beer, and it's always Budweiser, in a bottle. I have a few decades-long brand loyalty to Bud. When I asked for suggestions to switch to a comparable locally produced beer, Lee Weldon, ...a strong supporter of this site and manager of Habitat ReStore, suggested National Premium, the favorite old beer that has gained new life through the efforts of the owner in Easton. (In fact, I had an interesting learning tour of the efforts of entreprenuers across the country bringing back the old brands of various products that had long since disappeared off our shelves.)

Long story short (too late, I know), National Premium is a bit more expensive than Bud, but I vowed to treat myself to a six-pack every once in awhile. After a long day at work (only a ten-hour day, today, no breaks or lunch), I stopped at my locally owned and operated liquor store and bought...Budweiser. Just habit. Tired from a long day, grabbed my beer, and headed home. Cursed myself out once again for not getting the National Premium after I had gotten almost halfway home.

Yes, old habits die hard, especially when one gets up in age. I refuse to accept that I am an old dog so I am getting me a six-pack of National Premium this week even if I have to walk the thirty miles uphill, both ways, to the nearest store in subzero temps and in a raging blizzard.

Welcome Accurate Car Care Center

Let's welcome Accurate Car Care Center to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  With over thirty years of experience, Accurate Car Care Center has verything your car needs, from tires to brakes and from oil changes to transmission flushes.  Owner Chris Luongo is one of only a handful of ASE certified mechanics on Delmarva.  Acurate Car Care Center will treat your car as if it were their own.

Welcome Mallet's Property Maintenance

Let's welcome Mallet's Property Maintenance to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  Located in Sussex County and serving coastal Delmarva from Milton to Long Neck to Ocean City.  Licensed and insured, Mallet's Property Maintenance offer complete services for your home from winter watching to yard work to gutter maintenance to handyman jobs including everything from towel racks to ceiling fans to painting to floor installation.  If something needs to be done in or around your home, give us a call!  If we can't do the job, we can recommend who can.

Welcome Sub Runners

Let's welcome Sub Runners to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  Located in Wicomico County, has their award-winning cheese steaks, subs, wings, pizzas, salds and more.  Eat-in, take-out, or delivery.  If you are having a party, check out their party subs and platters!  Sub Runners makes your order when your order it - nothing is pre-made!

Welcome Ridgely Pharmacy & Ice Cream Parlor

Let's welcome Ridgely Pharmacy & Ice Cream Parlor to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  Located in Caroline County, Ridgely Pharmacy & Ice Cream Parlor is a full service pharmacy and more.  The converted old barn also serves as a gift shop and parlor, serving ice cream and light lunches.  Grab a bite to eat and browse the gift shop as you wait for your prescription to be filled.  Don't have a prescription to fill?  Stop in and grab a bite to eat anyway!

Welcome Denton Pharmacy

Let's welcome Denton Pharmacy to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  Located in Caroline County, Denton Pharmacy has been serving Denton and the surrounding communities for over a decade.  Your local pharmacist, Barbara Bedell, has over 23 years of experience.  The staff at Denton Pharmacy strive to make you feel like you're part of their family!  Delivery service available.

Top Ten Reasons to shop local for the holidays

10. Your only threat of being trampled is by the store owner's hound dog who may be a bit over-exuberent in greeting you.

9. Mrs. Baldwin might share her family secret recipe for that fruit cake of hers you've loved since you were a kid.

8. Mr. Baldwin might share his family secret recipe for homemade rum that goes in that fruit cake.

7. Catch up on all the news going on around town.

6. Discover that you are actually living an exciting life that's more fun-filled than Bond, James Bond's life, at least according to your neighbors and friends.

5. Don't know what to get for that person who has everything? Bet that shop around the corner has something that hard-to-shop-for person doesn't have and the national chains have never heard of it.

4. Which would you rather hear when you stop to grab a bite to eat: "You want fries with that?" or "Hey, honey, how have you been? I've heard you've been leading an exciting life lately. How are your kids?"

3. Find fresh preserves, jams, and relishes packed in real Mason Jars and send them off to your kids in the military or college. They'll think you slaved for hours in the kitchen making the special taste of home because you love them so much.

2. Sardines blindly follow each other and get packed tightly in a can. Striped bass blaze their own trail and never get packed in a can. Which do you want to be, a sardine or a striped bass?

And the number one reason to shop at your locally owned and operated businesses this holiday season:

1. Give a gift to your community. For evey $100 you spend at a locally owned and operated business, $68 remains in your community to support your friends and neighbors, sponsor a field trip for your local school club, provide after-school or summer activities through your local civic organizations, or upgrade a playground at your community park. The same $100 spent at a national chain leaves $13 in your community to achieve the same things.

Welcome Westside Car Wash

Let's welcome Westside Car Wash to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  Located in Dover, De, three generations of family of provided superior car washing and detailing services to residents of Kent County, DE.  Environmentally friendly, they do what is best for your car and the environment!



 

 

Are you really shopping local?

Let's have a serious talk...even toot your own horn, if you like.

I just spent the last two hours looking at shop local videos on YouTube trying to learn what works and doesn't work. Of course, it's Saturday night and I have my Budweiser with me. Budweiser is the only beer I drink and have drank since my college days. I have sampled other beers as long as I can buy them one bottle at a time, but... when I buy to stock my fridge, Budweiser is all you will find.

Then I came across a video where a chef took to task the shop local message. His point was that consumers are driving the shop local message, but are local shop owners practicing what the consumers are preaching? Since he is a chef and owns a restaurant, he pointed out that in his restaurant he carries almost exclusively locally produced beers, wines, and spirits and he suggests them to his diners over the national brands, like Budweiser.

His comment got me thinking on three fronts.

First, as much as I push "buy local", I have been remiss on supporting our local breweries. I have a few decades of brand loyalty to Budweiser, yet I bet the folks at Budweiser couldn't find Delmarva, much less Toddville, on a map. Sure, when I first started drinking beer back in college, there was no such thing as locally produced beers, but now there is. Unless Budweiser gives back to Toddville by sending a couple of ice cold kegs via Clydesdale horses for a community crab feast every year for the next thirty years (my time investment in Budweiser so far), I need to find a comparable locally produced beer. At least I know if I spend my ten bucks every Saturday on a 12-pack of a locally produced beer, $6.80 will stay in my local community, adding to its strength and vitality it so desparately needs. That's a much better investment than the $1.30 that Budweiser leaves for my community. I do want to see those Clydesdales up close so, if Budweiser is listening, I'm willing to negotiate a year-to-year deal.

Second, if you own a restaurant or bar, how much of your inventory is locally produced beers, wines, and spirits and do you often suggest or actively advertise them, like with plenty of signage, verbal suggestions to every customers, or in printed ads?

Third, I figure I have a lot of "brand loyalty" to many basic household items, food, and drinks in addition to my brand loyalty to Budweiser. I need to take a closer look at what I am buying and try to find an acceptable, locally produced alternative. If you are a locally owned and operated business, will you join me in the quest to find locally produced alternatives your customers will love?

This is where you get to toot your own horn. If you are a locally owned and operated producer of goods, tell us. I know I need to find new brands. If you are a locally owned and operated business that sources its products locally, first, tell us. I need to know where to go to experience the true flavor of shopping local. And if you are a shopper who already knows where the great locally owned and operated businesses that offer locally produced goods are, tell us. That's a secret everyone should know!

Shop Local Delmarva encourages Dorchester to "keep it local"

Almost four years ago, I attended a Dorchester County Economic Development Plan meeting.  The meeting almost exclusively focused on a new technology park to be opened adjacent to the Bucktown Airport.  The park would hold technology focused businesses.   Much ado was made over a call center (telemarketers) opening up shop.  The park would bring in hundreds of new jobs and much needed revenue to the county.

Red flags began popping up in my head.  The park meant the loss of farmland and an influx of national companies.  National companies usually bring in their own management teams, who, in turn, usually hire people they know to fill key positions.  The end result is that few, if any, of the better paying positions would go to local residents.  The influx of "hundreds of jobs" easily translates to "hundreds of at or near minimum wage jobs".  The influx of new people from outside of Dorchester County also meant that new houses would need to be built, which means more woods and farmlands would be lost.

On a more personal, albeit less significant, note, construction of the park meant the destruction of the colorful wild hibiscus that lined both sides of Bucktown Road every summer.  Every summer I looked forward to the line of whites to red and every shade in between.  Every fall I looked forward to collecting some seeds to get the wild hibiscus to grow down here where I live.  Progress meant the annual natural beauty would be lost forever.

Construction began on the park.  The old farmhouse in the field was demolished, a paved entrance way built, and a stop sign at the end of the entrance erected, but then construction stopped about three years ago.  The colorful hibiscus are gone except for one small stretch on the opposite side of the road from the unfinished technology park.  Last week, I collected my seeds from the survivors.  With a planned ribbon cutting ceremony for the park next spring, these last few hibiscus probably grew for their last year. 

Progress can be a good thing and colorful flowers can always be replanted once a project is done.  The Dorchester County Regional Technology Park is off to a good start and appears to be headed in the right direction.  Construction of the park is being done by a locally owned and operated construction company, Willow Construction, headquartered in Easton.  Willow Construction plans on hiring local contractors to build the park. 

Hiring a local construction firm is an important step and a good sign the Dorchester County Economic Development Department's director, Keasha Haythe and her team, are "thinking local".  The task of selling the fifteen available lots, however, was given to a national firm, Cassidy Turley, headquartered in DC.  Their job is to lease the fifteen available spaces to technological start up companies.  Only time will tell how concerned Cassidy Turley is with the "think local first" philosophy when leasing the available fifteen lots.

Dorchester County has the second highest unemployment rate in the state at 10% as of July of this year.  In fact, only Dorchester and Somerset counties have double-digit unemployment rates in the entire state.  (Baltimore city, separated from Baltimore County, has the actual highest unemployment rate.)  Any development project that brings jobs should be welcomed, but the quality of those jobs should be questioned by every resident.  The price of bringing those jobs is lost farmland and woods, natural resources we won't get back, and a loss that could potentially change the very identity of Dorchester County over time.  Every member of the Dorchester County Economic Development Department, every political leader, every business leader, and every citizen of Dorchester County has a vested interest in bringing quality economic development and jobs to Dorchester, development and jobs that will enhance residents' standard of living while preserving the county's unique, rural identity.

The Dorchester County Regional Technology Park is being constructed under the One Maryland Tax Credit statute.  The idea of the statute is to encourage economic development in designated stressed areas through tax incentives.  As written, One Maryland strives to improve the living standards of residents living in depressed areas by increasing the tax base of the county and providing jobs for the residents.  The language of the statute, though, allows companies to skirt the intent of the program.

While any start up technology business looking to open its doors in Dorchester County is required to offer a minimum of twenty-five "qualified positions" (jobs), the only stipulation is that each qualified position opened nets one new job in Maryland.  What that means is a company in Delaware could relocate to Dorchester County, bring all twenty-five of its employees with them, and qualify for the tax credits.  What this means: for the state of Maryland, a gain of twenty-five new jobs; for Dorchester County, an increased tax base; for residents of Dorchester County, nothing - they are still unemployed.

It also means that a start up company in Anne Arundel County can open a branch in Dorchester County, bring as many employees as they want with them, hire replacements for the vacated positions in Anne Arundel County, and fill the remaining open positions in Dorchester County with local residents, or with anyone willing to commute to Dorchester County, and the company still meets the definition of creating one net new job for Maryland for each position filled.  What that means is the company receives its tax credit, Maryland receives a net increase in jobs, Dorchester County increases its tax base, and residents are left either unemployed or with a job opportunity starting at $10.87 per hour, the poverty level defined by the government for a family of four.

Shop Local Delmarva encourages the Dorchester County Economic Development Department and local politicians to insist the realty company seeks tenants for the fifteen available lots with Dorchester County start up companies.  The search can then expand to regional start up companies, starting with the mid-shore counties and then expanding to all of Delmarva.  If there are still lots available, the search for tenants can expand to the Western Shore of Maryland, and, if need be, to other states.

Once the search for tenants expands beyond Dorchester County, preference should be given to those companies that vow to hire more local residents than employees the company bring with them.  The One Maryland program is intended to help the residents of depressed areas so it logically follows that companies most willing to hire local residents should be given preference to open its doors in the new technology park.

When I first discussed this concept with Ms. Haythe, Director of Dorchester County Economic Development Department, about four years ago, she expressed concern that such tenancy selection procedures could be construed as discriminatory.  Shop Local Delmarva, as well as every resident of Dorchester County, needs to ask, "If the intent of a statute is to improve the economic conditions of a depressed area, how can setting guidelines (not rules or laws) to fulfill the intent of the statute be viewed as discriminatory?"  The answer, of course, is the statute, itself, is discriminatory if the depressed area has no leeway to set guidelines in an attempt to fulfill the intent of the statute.

With such an important project slated to open within the next year, possibly as early as this spring, Shop Local Delmarva encourages every resident of Dorchester County and friends of Dorchester County to contact the Dorchester County Commissioners, the Dorchester County Economic Development Department, the county manager, and the realty company, Cassidy-Turley, with their concerns to fill the technology park with local start up companies, first, and then regional companies, second,  and then outside companies willing to hire local residents, for all, or most, positions, third.

Please call and/or email the following contacts with your concerns that the technology park opens with the best interests of Dorchester County-owned businesses and Dorchester County residents' interests as the cornerstone to a successful development.

Dorchester County Economic Department:
Keasha Haythe, Director
410-228-0155
email (online): http://choosedorchester.org/contact/


County Commisioners:
Jay L. Newcomb (D)
410-397-2134
email: jaynewcomb@docogonet.com

Tom Bradshaw (R)
410-943-1212
email: tbradshaw@docogonet.com

William V. Nichols (D)
410-221-1371
email: wnichols@docogonet.com
Rick Price (R)
443-521-5518
email: rprice@docogonet.com 

Ricky Travers (D)
410-228-1532
email: travers@fastol.com

County Manager:

Jane Baynard410-228-1700
email: jbaynard@docogonet.com


Cassidy Turley (realtor for the 15 available lots):
Joseph Stettinius
202-463-1367
email: Joe.Stettinius@cassidyturley.com

Welcome Value Furniture

Let's welcome Value Furniture to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  Two locations to serve you - Value Furniture North (Dover) and Value Furniture South (Felton), which also serves Sussex county.  Military members receive a 10% discount, with ID, on their already low prices. 

Welcome Ladybug Pest Management, Inc.

Let's welcome Ladybug Pest Management, Inc. to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  If you have a pest, they'll get rid of it.  Specializing in bed bug treatments, Ladybug employs Delmarva's own Dasiey and Dolley, two specially trained beagles, to sniff out the pests.  A female-veteran owned business, Ladybug will keep your home pest free!

Welcome The Good Ole Days

Let's welcome The Good Ole Days to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  They offer handmade aprons, oven mitts, pillow cases and a whole lot more and are happy to make custom orders, too! 

Is Phillips Restaurant and Seafood a locally owned and operated business?

Residents around OC as well as visitors to the beach are probably familiar with Phillips Restaurant and Seafood. The company has a long history here on the Shore.  Augustus E. Phillips opened a packing plant on Hooper's Island in Dorchester County in 1916. Forty years later, son Brice and his wife, Shirley, moved to OC and opened a crab shack to sell excess crabs from the Hooper's Island processing plant. The restaurant has since grown into a worldwide company with processing plants in Latin America and Southeast Asia to ensure a year-round supply of seafood to its restaurants concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic area, including the original restaurant we're all familiar with in OC.

A visit to Phillips' website shows the corporate headquarters for the restaurants is located in Baltimore. On their website, their "about us" section leaves the impression that they are still a "Mom and Pop" type store here on the Shore.

The restaurant in OC is not "true blue" certified. (True blue certified means that a restaurant serves crab products that are at least 75% Maryland blue crab.) Their commercial on TV, today, claims they serve "Maryland crabs", but we can see from their worldwide operations that the crabs they get most likely are coming from Southeast Asia.

By Shop Local Delmarva's definition of "locally owned and operated", Phillips Restaurant and Seafood, despite being founded as a locally owned and operated business, would not be considered a local business any more. The reason is the headquarters are in Baltimore, the owners' primary residence cannot be determined (at least 50% of the owners must live in the county where the business is located), and after extensive research, it appears Phillips Foods, Inc (the parent company of the restaurant in OC) all but abandoned support of the local communities (OC and Hooper's Island) where the company's roots are.

I really value the opinions of the fans of this page and Shop Local Delmarva. What do you think - locally owned or not?  A collection of articles about the company as published in The Baltimore Sun may help you decide. Wikipedia has a brief history of the company as well. And of course, you can always visit their website.

Are Maryland blue crabs really from Maryland?

Are Maryland Blue Crabs really from Maryland? Probably not, even when in season. The demand is far greater than what the Bay can produce. As a result, up to 95%, depending on the productivity of the Bay in any given year, of "fresh steamed, Maryland Blue Crabs" you get at a restaurant are shipped to local seafood houses from North Carolina and the Gulf states like Louisiana and Alabama. The seafood houses, in turn, sells them (along with the harvest our watermen do get) as Maryland Blue Crabs.

In fact, when the NC harvest of blue crabs is good (NC has lax restrictions compared to MD), our local watermen suffer. Last year, for example, our local watermen fetched $65/bushel. NC had a bumper harvest and the price per bushel was driven down, even though the average consumer still shelled out around $200/bushel.

This year, the NC crab harvest isn't so good so our watermen are getting $100/bushel. The average consumer can still expect to pay around $200/bushel.

If you're wondering why the retail price per bushel is about the same as last year, but the watermen are getting 17.5% more per bushel, it's because the seafood houses (many are locally owned) need to meet the consumer demand, but they can't "import" the cheaper NC crabs and pass them off as "Maryland blue crabs", so they have to pay our local watermen higher prices for what they catch.

Yes, it's our seafood industry's dirty little secret. As long as the crab passes through our seafood houses, it's a Maryland blue crab even if the crab was caught in NC.

Can you tell I am researching where our crabs really come from? I am surprised to learn two things:

1. There are no laws dictating that to be called "Maryland blue crab", the crab needs to have been harvested from the Chesapeake and it's tributaries.

2. Our own, locally owned and operated seafood houses willingly buy the cheaper NC or Gulf states' blue crabs, pass them off as "Maryland blue crabs" and our local watermen are forced to accept the lower prices per bushel. Especially during lean years, that lower prices can mean the difference between eking out a living wage for the day or spending more money to take the boat out than what they can earn in their catch.

When it comes to our "Maryland crab cakes", the fraud is even more severe. You may be buying a "Maryland crab cake" at your favorite locally owned and operated restaurant thinking you are supporting our local watermen, but there's a good chance you're supporting an Indonesian or Venezuelan waterman.

I don't know what happened to the "True Blue" labeling effort, but, as consumers, we should start asking our restaurants to sign up for it.

The next stage?

Possible good news in the next stage of development for Shop Local Delmarva.

The Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation founded a program a few years back by retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant Joe Giordano called Project Opportunity. The program selects eligible veterans from the nine counties of the Eastern Shore for a 10-week, crash course in researching, developing, and eventually creating their own business. The program has been so successful at helping veterans launch their own business, it has expanded to include southern Maryland on the Western Shore up through Annapolis. At orientation tonight, the expansion has gone even further to include Columbia and Glen Burnie.

Shop Local Delmarva, namely, I, have an upcoming, hour-long telephone interview to further determine Shop Local Delmarva's acceptance into the program. The two-and-a-half hour long introduction course tonight went well, but the upcoming phone interview will be a milestone. If accepted into the program, I will be able to formulate a business plan and, after ten weeks, possibly pitch the plan to potential partners or investors to take Shop Local Delmarva to the next stage of development.

A key reminder to current members of Shop Local Delmarva and to locally owned and operated businesses considering listing with Shop Local Delmarva: your basic listing is and always will be free. That is one key point that any business plan developed between now and November will include.

Sadly ironic....

Sadly ironic, but, yes, the story drives home the importance of shopping locally. After 22 years, Zia's closed, the owners citing competition with the big chains forced the decisions. Cracker Barrel, a national chain restaurant, plans on opening at Zia's old location. This is what happens when local people choose not to support their locally owned and operated businesses. The uniquely local businesses close their doors, and Your Town, Your Community becomes Any Town, USA. 

 

 

Saturday, Aug 10 is Shop Local Delmarva Day

Ever wonder who's behind Shop Local Delmarva? Saturday, August 10th, the guy who always talks to you through cyberspace will be at Raffies Warehouse Clearance Sale for Shop Local Delmarva Day. On top of taking advantage of great deals, like $10 wool area rugs or $20 framed pictures and a hodgepodge of other estate items, you can meet the founder of Shop Local Delmarva. I know I'm curious as to who he is (just kidding, I know who I am). Come on out and ask him any questions you may have like how Shop Local Delmarva can help your business or what the future of Shop Local Delmarva is. Hope to see you there! 

Welcome Perennial Roots Farm

Located in Accomack County and serving Northampton County, Perennial Roots Farm is a sustainable farm specializing in heritage breeds and heirloom crops.  With genetically modified crops creating quite a stir among the general populace and the growing concern for sustainable farming, Perennial Roots Farm has returned to the tried and true methods of farming from yesteryear.  Heritage breeds of chickens, ducks, rabbits, and other livestock "live off the land" and don't require grains as their primary food source.  What you get from heritage breeds are richer eggs and better tasting meat.  Heirloom crops are adapted to our environment and are naturally disease resistant and compete well with "weeds", all traits which eliminates the necessity of using herbicides and pesticides to grow the crops.  Besides, the heritage breeds of animals do a good job at controlling weeds and pests!  So let's welcome Perennial Roots Farm to the family of locally owned and operated businesses, a farm dedicated to restoring the agricultural and economic vibrancy the Eastern Shore of Virginia was once known for.

How visitors are using Shop Local Delmarva

Since December, Shop Local Delmarva has consistently averaged around 625 visitors per month. Last month and this month, the average has dropped a bit.

Top keywords used to find Shop Local Delmarva are "shop Delmarva" or some variation of those words like "local shopping on Delmarva" followed by a search for specific businesses, namely Taylor's Organics, Delmarva Popcorn, and ATL Bistro and Bar.

The top pages visited were the Classified Ad section followed by JEM Lumber (I suspect because of their special they ran last month) followed by Shop Local Delmarva's articles followed by the Shop Local Delmarva Virtual Mall.

Two possible reasons for the slight drop in monthly visitors: it's summer and people tend to be on the computer less and possibly, first time visitors aren't finding the directory "useful" as there are only a handful of businesses listed.

If you own a business that fits the description of "locally owned and operated", please get listed. Your basic listing is and always will be free. While the site is growing, you can list in the classified ad section for free and if you serve all of Delmarva (including selling online), you can have a store front in the Virtual Mall for free.

The bigger the directory, the more visitors will use Shop Local Delmarva and the more likely new customers will find you. 

How did you support your local busineses today?

Just out of curiosity, what did you do to support your locally owned and operated businesses yesterday?

I didn't do any shopping, but I did go to an auction. I don't know if the auctioneers were local people nor do I know how local all the items being sold were, but I do know the food stand was locally owned. I ate lunch there. Of course, I planned on eating lunch at the locally owned restaurant in town, but I chose to support the stand at the auction, instead. By the time I finished making a video around Cambridge that I wanted to make, I was hungry, again, so I ended up supporting the locally owned restaurant in town, anyway. Oh, then on the way home, I bought my beer at the locally owned liquor store.

Well, dang it, I did a pretty good job at supporting my locally owned and operated businesses today, after all, and I didn't even try!

How local is local?

The question reminds me of a similar question I faced as a gardening enthusiast.  I concentrated on growing native plants, but the question arose: how native is native?  On one end, some gardeners would argue only plants that our first settlers would've found growing in what is now the garden is native.  On the other end, as long as the plant could be found in the state, it is native.  Most gardeners fell somewhere in between, usually narrowing the definition to a smaller geographical area such as the county or a hundred-mile radius where the garden was located.  Purists, however, argued there was no such thing as a native plant since most of our native plants have the genes of non-native or hybridized cousins. 

The same range of thought exists with what one defines as a locally owned and operated business.  Some argue that only businesses within or very near one's town is a local business.  Others argue that businesses founded in the state are a local business.  Most people fall somewhere in between.  Purists, however, argue there is no such thing as a locally owned and operated business as most businesses require the services or products from outside of the region in order for the owners to conduct their business.

The answer to what defines a locally owned and operated business if further complicated by other factors.  Some would argue that a locally owned franchise is a locally owned and operated business.  Others would argue that a business, whose owner has moved out of state but still maintains the business locally, is a locally owned and operated business.

Now here is a trick question.  Is Target a locally owned and operated business?  Most people would argue that no, it is a national chain, the kind of store shop local enthusiasts avoid.  People in Minneapolis, MN, however, might argue that, for them, Target is a locally owned and operated business as the original Target began there in 1902 as the Dayton Dry Goods Company.  Just because the store changed its name to Target doesn't make it any less local.  Others would argue that despite its history, Target is now a publicly owned company with no shareholder holding more than 9% interest in the company, and the shareholders are spread out all across the country so it can no longer be considered a locally owned and operated company.

Now, here is another trick question.  Is Walmart a locally owned and operated business?  Like people in Minnesota who might argue Target is a locally owned and operated business, people in Benton, AR might argue that Walmart is a locally owned and operated business.  Unlike the people in Minnesota, though, the people in Arkansas could arguably be more correct in their claim.  The Walton family, founders of Walmart, hold a 48% stake in shares of the company, making them the majority owners.

There are probably as many definitions to "locally owned and operated" as there are people who try to answer the question, how local is local.  Shop Local Delmarva considered all the ranges of thought on the subject, but discovered the definition came down to two key questions: what sort of business keeps most of its money circulating within the local community and what is the "local community"?

With those two questions in mind, Shop Local Delmarva first defined "local community" as all of Delmarva.  The reasoning was based on the fact that most of Delmarva is rural in nature and one couldn't expect to find everything he/she would need in his/her local town.  One may need to travel thirty miles or more to the next nearest town, but he/she could still support the local businesses there instead of relying on the national chains.

Defining what sort of business keeps most of its money within the local community was a bit trickier to define.  Operating on the statistic that for every $100 spent at a locally owned and operated business, $68 remains in the community as opposed to $13 that remains out of the same $100 spent at a national chain, Shop Local Delmarva defined "locally owned and operated business" as one that is most likely to meet the $68 statistic.

Shop Local Delmarva decided that locally owned and operated franchises should be excluded.  The operation of the franchise is still governed by people outside of the local community (loss of community identity), products sold to consumers or products used in a service based business or usually dictated to be purchased outside of the community (no flexibility to purchase locally produced products), and a sizable portion of the franchise's profits go to another state in the form of royalties and licensing fees. 

Shop Local Delmarva also decided to exclude businesses with absent owners, that is, owners that may have started the business while living in the community, but have decided to move or semi-retire to another state while maintaining the operation of the business.  Like the profits of a franchise, the profits of a business with an absent owner are going to another state to maintain the owner's residence and lifestyle in that state.

Ultimately, the definition of a locally owned and operated business is up to the individual to decide for him/herself.  Whether one only considers shopping local in his/her immediate community or a larger geographical area, the important thing is shop local, Delmarva!  If everyone made a ten percent shift in their spending habits towards locally owned and operated businesses, the local economy would see huge benefits. 

 

For a complete, formalized definition of "locally owned and operated business" as defined by Shop Local Delmarva, please see our "Get Listed" section and remember, if you own a business on Delmarva and your business meets the definition, you can get a basic listing that is, and always will be, free.

Make the 10% shift

Here's the biggest obstacle for many to shopping locally: Why should I pay $1.09 for a widget at a locally owned and operated business when I can get the same or equal widget for $0.99 at a Big box Store or off the Internet?   

The shop local message is directed at two audiences: one with disposable income and one who budgets from paycheck to paycheck.  For those who have disposable income, the message of why one should shop local rings loud and clear and are, most likely, shopping local as much as they can.

For the majority of people who are living from paycheck to paycheck, budget is important and no matter how many stats one posts about the benefits of shopping local, the shoppers' bank account determines where one shops.  Invariably, these consumers will opt for the widget that is ten cents cheaper.

Getting people to shop local, or at least thinking about breaking their routine and visiting some locally owned and operated shops, is a three-pronged effort.

First, educate the average shopper on the benefits of shopping local.  The benefits one would see in their community if everyone shopped local is a bit intangible to most people, yet immediately conceptualized by most  regardless of their budget.

Second, show the average consumer that not everything is "overpriced".  Sure, one could save by buying some "necessities" at a big chain store, but there are plenty of locally owned and operated business that offer competitive pricing, and, yes, cheaper pricing than the big box stores.   Not only offering the competitive pricing, but locally owned and operate businesses also offer a variety of products, often locally produced or in a "niche market", that one would never find a big box store.

Third, offer an opportunity to encourage the average shopper to shop local and discover what the big box stores don't offer.  Big box stores want you, your family, your neighbors, and friends to have everything the same because mass-produced items can be sold cheaply.  Your locally owned and operated businesses offer a variety the big box stores can't.  (Please read Shop Local Delmarva's article, The Homogenization of Rural Town, USA, for more information.) 

Some studies suggest that a 10% shift in spending habits aimed towards our locally owned and operated businesses would result in $140 million in new economic activity, create over 1,600 new jobs, and   provide $50 million in new wages.  No matter how tight one's budget is, making a 10% shift in spending habits is a doable goal for most people once they fully understand the importance of shopping locally.

Shop Local Delmarva created Shop Local Delmarva Day to help the average consumer learn more about why it is important to shop locally and to help achieve the 10% (or more) shift in spending habits.  By designating the second Saturday of every month as Shop Local Delmarva Day, the average consumer, regardless of their budget, can decide the best way to support his/hers local community by supporting his/hers locally owned and operated businesses. 

Let's say a couple spends $1,500 per month in all the major areas of expenses such as food, clothing, household, home improvement (including yard and gardens), and entertainment.  To meet the 10% goal, the couple could choose to spend $150 all on Shop Local Delmarva Day in several different locally owned stores or spread the spending out over the entire month (about $34 per week), depending on the couple's budget. 

With the numbers broken down, the couple can easily make conscious buying decisions.  Thirty-four dollars per week isn't a whole lot of money.  They can decide to stop at a produce stand on their way home from work to buy fresh, local produce (food); buy a new pair of shoes and a new shirt or blouse at a local boutique during their lunch hour (clothing); stop at the local hardware store on their way to do their weekly grocery shopping for odds and ends hardware (nails, hinges to fix a cabinet, or some paint or wood finish to bring new life to a piece of furniture or room) or stop at a local garden center for a bag of mulch, pest control products, or new fencing (home improvement); and stop at a locally owned restaurant, deli, or grocery market to pick up something to eat and drink instead of going through a national chain's drive thru (entertainment). 

With little shifts like these in shopping habits, the couple would easily make the 10% shift in spending habits towards our locally owned and operated businesses.  It may not sound like much, but if everyone made the tiny shift, the economic benefits to the community would be immense.  Please read American Independent Business Alliance's informative, yet easy-to-read, article, Benefits of Doing Business Locally, to learn how immense that impact can be. 

JEM Lumber to announce Shop Local Delmarva Day special

July 13th is our next Shop Local Delmarva Day.   JEM Lumber & Building Supply, LLC in Bridgeville, DE is celebrating the day by offering a week-long special!  If you have a major home improvement project to do, you'll definitely will want to stay tuned for the announcement of JEM Lumber's planned special exclusively for supporters of Shop Local Delmarva!  Be sure to tell your friends and contractors you know about Shop Local Delmarva Day so they don't miss out on JEM Lumber's support for our locally owned and operated businesses. 

The fine print: Announcement of JEM Lumber's promotion will be on July 5th and will be valid for the entire week leading up to Shop Local Delmarva Day.  Announcements will be made on the Shop Local Delmarva website, the Shop Local Delmarva FaceBook page, and the Shop Local Delmarva blog.

Welcome ATL Bistro and Bar

Let's welcome ATL Bistro and Bar to the family of locally owned and operated businesses!  ATL Bistro and bar offers reasonably a priced menu fare, live entertainment, and supports our local breweries and wineries.  Located in Delmar, MD, stop in for a bite to eat, a drink, some good, live music, and a socializing event. 

Today is our fourteenth Shop Local Delmarva Day!

Today brings us beautiful spring weather to enjoy the day exploring our locally owned and operated businesses!  If you're staying home because there's spring yard work that needs to be done, why not take an afternoon break and run down to the local sandwich shop for lunch or call a locally owned and operated pizza shop and have lunch delivered? 

And don't forget, you can support our locally owned and operated businesses from the comfort of your home.  With two new stores added, Shop Local Delmarva Virtual Mall is always open.  All the businesses in the Mall offer at least some of their services or products to all of Delmarva!

Welcome Jen-Mor Florist, Inc.

Shop Local delmarva welcomes Jen-Mor Florist, Inc. to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  Jen-Mor Florist, Inc. delivers flowers to anywhere you want.  They offer a large selection of fresh flowers, plants, fruit, sweets, gourmet snacks, and gifts with their secure online ordering.  Jen_mor Florists, Inc. aims to exceed their customers' expectations with quality, value, and professional service.



Welcome Candra's Secret

Shop Local Delmarva welcomes Candra's Secret to the family of locally owned and operated businesses.  Candra's Secret offers the largest and most unique sports jewelry and paper art. Candra, and her family and friends, make most of the artwork used in the jewelry. Colorful art creates the most unusual hand-spun paper beads you can find. Candra's beads are strong and look like glass, but are light as air.  You can order from her website, too!

In the last couple of weeks, I have fallen a bit behind in my normal upkeep of the Shop Local Delmarva website. A combination of training for a new job, which requires a lot of time in Baltimore, and helping a local busines...s (who had served Cambridge for over fifty years) re-establish itself after being forced to close during the height of the recession has slowed me down a bit. As an update, here is what will be coming up by the end of the month:

A formal welcome to Candra's Secret will be coming. Candra's Secret is listed in the Shop Local Delmarva directory as "in Sussex" and serving all of Delmarva. Candra's Secret will also soon be featured in the Shop Local Delmarva Virtual Mall. Please visit their website at http://www.shoplocaldelmarva.com/content/listing/sussex/candras-secret

A formal welcome to Jem-Mor Florist will be coming. Jem-Mor Florist is listed in the Shop Local Delmarva directory as "in Kent (DE)" and will be soon linked to serving all of Delmarva. Jem-Mor Florist will also soon be featured in the Shop Local Delmarva Virtual Mall. Please visit their website at http://www.shoplocaldelmarva.com/content/listing/kent-de/jen-mor-florist-inc

Perennial Roots Farms will soon be listed as "in Accomack" and serving Northampton. Please visit their website at http://www.perennialroots.com/

Raffie's Warehouse will soon be listed as "in Dorchester" and serving all of Delmarva. Up until about two years ago, Raffie's Warehouse had two locations, one in Cambridge and one in Easton, before being forced to close during the economic downturn. I am helping Raffie's Warehouse establish a virtual store through eBay to help the owner sell his inventory that is currently sitting in storage. He also wants to move his jewelry business, which he currently has offered in a couple of leased spaces in other stores, move completely to the virtual store. At 92-years-old, the owner has decided to forgo the traditional brick-and-mortar store and has embraced the new technology of a virtual store! Hopefully, I can help him make the transformation a success. Once I get Raffie's Warehouse established in the virtual world, they will be listed as "in Dorchester" and serving all of Delmarva. They also will be featured in the Shop Local Delmarva Mall.

Our next Shop Local Delmarva Day is April 13th! If you want to run any specials, sales, or coupons for the day, please email or message me with your request by March 31st. All businesses, even those with a free basic listing, can run one simple text ad that will be promoted here and on the Shop Local Delmarva website. I can include your business logo with the text ad.

If anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to post them here or message or email me. I apologize to the businesses who are so patiently waiting for me to catch up. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to hire help, but I am trying my best to keep up with the recent influx of requests. I appreciate your patience.