I talked a lot about shopping locally this month. Heck, I created an entire BINGO game ā€“ in partnership with about 20 downtown businesses ā€“ just to, essentially, bribe folks to consider a local shop over a big box retailer this holiday season. 

But what about me? 

Itā€™s easy to talk about the importance of shopping locally. But itā€™s harder to turn talk into action ā€“ especially during the busiest months of the year. I also think the call to ā€œshop localā€ is important, but vague and hard to put into practice. 

When I founded Sioux Falls Simplified nearly four years ago, I made an internal commitment to support local businesses more. (Again, vague and hard to put into practice.) 

  • After a few years, Iā€™m just now figuring out how to slowly and sustainably integrate supporting local businesses into my daily/weekly routine. So I wanted to share some of my own experience. 
  • Iā€™ve got plenty of work to do yet, and it hasnā€™t always been easy. But these efforts to keep my spending local have really paid off for me in both tangible and intangible ways.

From where I set my coffee meetings to where I buy my shampoo, hereā€™s how I support local businesses even when it means a little extra work or money. Or, as the youths would say, lemme show you the receipts: 

Making a habit. The less thinking I do, the better. While this takes a little legwork to start, it becomes second nature after a while. 

  • For example, I buy laundry detergent sheets from Terra Shepherd instead of big plastic-y jugs from Target. Itā€™s a more environmentally friendly choice ā€“ a personal goal of mine ā€“ but itā€™s also $18 I keep in Sioux Falls. 
  • And thatā€™s a recurring purchase. When I run out of laundry sheets, I pop in and pick up more when Iā€™m downtown for work or whatever else.

Pause before purchasing. Iā€™m as susceptible to social media ads as the next gal, donā€™t get me wrong. But when I see a product that spurs me to click ā€œadd to cart,ā€ I increasingly force myself to pause. 

Is this something I really need? Almost never. Do I still want it  anyway? OK, maybe. Can I find the same thing or something similar in a local shop? Find out.

  • This pause helps me in a number of ways.
  • No. 1, it keeps me from mindless Instagram purchases at 2 a.m. when Iā€™m laying on the floor of my kidsā€™ room waiting for them to fall back asleep. That alone saves more money than Iā€™d like to admit.
  • No. 2, it forces me to think about all of the offerings in our community. 
    • A recent example: I want to buy magna-tiles for my kids this Christmas (donā€™t worry, they canā€™t read, so this wonā€™t spoil it for them). It would be SO easy to just hop on Amazon and ā€œadd to cart.ā€ But it takes the same time and effort to Google ā€œChildā€™s Play Toys - Sioux Falls,ā€ find a similar ā€” if not same ā€” set, ā€œadd to cartā€ and walk in later for in-store pickup. 
    • Thatā€™s another $50 (the cost of keeping kids entertained) going to someone in Sioux Falls rather than lining Jeff Bezosā€™ pocket. 

Find the local person who does the big box thing. My younger sister got married this summer, and she needed about 200 color-printed wedding programs. 

  • There were plenty of options ā€“ we couldā€™ve ordered print copies from Canva, the site we used to design the programs.
  • But my ā€œshop localā€ spidey senses told me to ask around Sioux Falls. Lo and behold, my friends at Panther Premier Print Solutions were there to help. 
    • They helped me pick paper weight and type, and printed everything within a couple of days. So easy. (And then I knew who to call to print 1,000 copies of the BIN-GO Shop Local card ā€“ another $470 staying in the community). 

But, Megan, the things youā€™re suggesting take more time and brain power, and Iā€™m already carrying a huge mental load. 

I hear you. Trust me when I say, I hear you.

Iā€™m not suggesting you change all of your purchasing decisions overnight. That wouldnā€™t be fun or sustainable. And if it doesnā€™t feel good, you wonā€™t do it again. 

The thing is, itā€™s all about small, incremental changes ā€“ just like anything in life. 

  • Maybe you start by picking the jar of locally-made Inca salsa at Hy-Vee instead of a generic/big box brand. 
  • Maybe you get a few nice soaps from Sweetgrass Soapery as stocking stuffers to sit alongside the big bag of candy you bought at Walmart, because we all do it. 
  • Maybe instead of hitting the mall on Black Friday, you wait a day and head downtown on Small Business Saturday. 
  • Stressed about parking? Maybe downtown is too much, and you hit up Dawley Farms, Lake Lorraine or one of the other shopping destinations with locally owned businesses and franchises instead.
  • Maybe you keep your online shopping habit, but instead of Amazon, you Google search Sioux Falls-based retailers (or follow them on Instagram ā€“ many local retailers are active there). 
  • Maybe buy a bag of coffee beans from Daylily or The Breaks as a special treat for Thanksgiving ā€“ and then, heck, maybe it becomes a recurring purchase.

It starts small. But each of those $5 or $20 purchases is like a tiny investment in our community. Itā€™s a little vote for the type of community you want to see in Sioux Falls. 

Yeah, that sounds all fine. But itā€™s still more work just so I can feel warm and fuzzy. Whatā€™s in it for me, really?

Yeah, I struggled with this  too. I know itā€™s important to shop locally. I know it keeps more money in the community, uplifts other business owners like myself, yada, yada, yada. 

But Iā€™m already at Target, and Iā€™m not making another darn stop today, so help me. 

The thing is, when you consistently shop locally thereā€™s this magic that happens. Over time, that magic forms into what I can only describe as a real and true community.

I feel like Meg Ryan in a ā€˜90s rom-com when I walk into certain local businesses and am greeted by name. The people behind the counter became my friends. They know my kidsā€™ names. I feel warm and fuzzy, yes, but I also feel like Iā€™m part of something special. 

  • The other day, Charlie at Terra Shepherd recommended a lotion for me, and guess what, I LOVE it. 
  • When Marcela Salas tells me to try a new food at Salas Salsas or BibiSol, I will eat it with zero questions asked because she never leads me astray. 
  • I love to order a ā€œbaristaā€™s choiceā€ at Coffea or The Breaks because itā€™s a fun, low-risk way to try something new and 10 out of 10 times, I love it. 

It feels exciting to build relationships with the people youā€™re buying from. Thereā€™s trust there, and the things you buy feel more special. Those relationships take time and effort, yes, but the payoff is exponential. 

Iā€™ve also seen real, tangible benefits to supporting local businesses. When I come up with an idea for a gimmicky holiday BINGO game, for example, these small businesses happily bought in. 

  • These folks are more likely to donate to a silent auction for a nonprofit I care about, sponsor my kidsā€™ future sports teams, and, heck, even advertise in Sioux Falls Simplified. 

Those benefits are not immediate. It can take years, and a lot of the benefits of shopping locally wonā€™t come back directly. You may never have a kid on a soccer team supported by a local hardware store, but donā€™t you want to live in a community where those kinds of things happen? 

Big-box shopping is instant gratification. They have lower prices, more selection, more ease of customer experience. But those places arenā€™t where I take my out-of-town friends when they visit. Theyā€™re not the fun stops I make after a Sunday brunch with my sisters.

I love all of the cool, weird, unique local businesses in Sioux Falls. Itā€™s part of what makes this community what it is. I love that I walk into a coffee shop, and the person behind the counter reps merch from a local record store. I love that the cashier at the toy store asks me how my parents are doing. I love being part of a community. 

For me, itā€™s worth investing in ā€“ even if itā€™s just a few bucks at a time.

How are you shopping locally?

Please email me with your own tips, advice, cool finds, and stores I need to check out. I want it all.