At a time when you have more choices of where to shop than ever before, it’s more important – and more beneficial – to shop from your local retailers, restaurants and service providers. By shopping in Kirkland, you’re literally saving yourself time and money many times over. Here are seven reasons how:
Local businesses care
Local businesses know customer service is critical to getting and keeping customers, so will bend over backwards to do well by you. They’ll remember you – your name, what you like, what you don’t – so your shopping experience each time just keeps getting better.
Better service
PetSmart is fine for volume, but you can’t beat the service at Dooley’s Doghouse or Barkz in Kirkland. They know their product lines cold, and will work with you to make the right choice – for food, treats, toys and more. Big box shops and mall outlets just aren’t set up, or rewarded, for providing that level of service.
Better your neighborhood
Help your local businesses succeed, and it makes your neighborhood a better place to live. When your neighborhood improves, so do home prices. And that’s good for the ongoing, increasing value of your biggest investment.
Better products and prices
Because local businesses listen more closely to their customers, they provide a better selection and quality of product. And oftentimes, they have better prices as well. Without the overhead of massive real estate and nationwide advertising to support, local businesses can keep their costs lower. You don’t need to see 24 different styles of earrings, just the handful of hand-selected by Vince at Lake Street Diamond Company for a highly competitive price.
More convenient
If you can’t walk or bike or bus, you’re probably less than 10 minutes away by car. Avoid the traffic, the time and the hassle of going farther away to get the exact same thing.
Meet your neighbors
Your neighbors are shopping at these local businesses as well, and so shopping local means you’re also spending more time with neighbors you know and those you haven’t yet met. Shopping local is a great way to build a stronger community of residents that know each other and care for each other.
More tax dollars
Help your local businesses do well, and it’ll attract attention and traffic from outside the area. The better your local businesses do, the more tax dollars there are for your city to make improvements throughout the area. Shopping local, indirectly, means better parks, services, and more from the local government.
To learn more about Kirkland-area businesses, visit the new KirklandFirst business directory at www.kirklandfirst.org.
Matt Heinz is a Kirkland resident and owns Heinz Marketing, a sales & marketing consulting firm helping businesses increase customers and revenue. Contact Matt at matt@heinzmarketing.com or www.heinzmarketing.com.
