More Than Ever, the Time to Buy Local is Now

I’m a little concerned about recent developments here in the Cove. I’m concerned that the Cove has seen some developments that might be dimming the future light of the area.

Most people in the Cove know about the losses, have probably mentally grouped them and wondered what the effects will be. I’m referring here to events like the closing of the Spring Mill, the loss of the two C&S Family Market grocery stores, the relocating of Curry Supply and the death of Gene Henry, who was a strong supporter of local businesses.

Williamsburg has been hit hard, losing its ambulance service, its grocery store and its last bank. Not too far in the past was the closing of the refractory plant in Sproul.

There’s no guarantee that the loss of these businesses will be made up by other businesses moving in. Each of these losses will have its own effect on the area. The Spring Mill, for example, provided good jobs to hundreds of employees. Some of those employees lived here in the Cove and the mill paid local taxes.

Grocery stories might not be big employers, but they are important to the quality of life. Residents of Martinsburg and Williamsburg now will have to drive to Hollidaysburg or Roaring Spring to do a round of normal grocery shopping. That might seem like a minor inconvenience, but having a local grocery store is one of those things that makes a community complete and self-sufficient.

Readers of the Herald might feel powerless to have any effect on these losses. The decisions to close the Sproul refractory and the Spring Mill were made by distant companies, by people who probably never visited the Cove. How can local people have any effect on such decisions?

The answer is that we probably can’t. But there is something that we can do. We can support our local businesses.

Money spent here at local restaurants and businesses stays here, supporting not just the business but the local employees and their families. Money spent at businesses that are not owned locally mostly leaves the area.

This is not a rant against chains and big-box stores. Big-box stores and chains have their place and they do employ local people. However, once the employees and the local taxes are paid, the profits go elsewhere. For Cove-local businesses, the money stays here and recirculates.

At the Herald, for example, we always try to use local suppliers for any products or services that we buy. We shop at Long’s Outpost and the True Value Department Store. When work needs to be done, we call local contractors first. When we have visitors in town, we take them to locally owned restaurants for lunch. As much as possible, we do business with local companies.

This is not a new problem, of course, and it has been recognized by the business community. For years, the Blair and Bedford county chambers of commerce have urged local people to spend their money at local businesses.

The Blair County chamber has worked hard for more than six years to promote its “Buy Here, Live Here” program. The program includes a “Power Card” that allows local businesses to offer discounts and services to shoppers.

The Bedford County chamber has a similar program, the “Chamber Advantage” program.

Both chambers exist specifically to promote local businesses and they know that the best way to do that is to keep as much money as possible circulating locally.

It is bad enough that the profits from non-local companies get sent out of the area. Website shopping is probably worse in terms of supporting local businesses. At least chain stores employ local people and pay taxes here. Most shopping websites will gladly take your credit card dollar but it is likely that they will never return even a penny back to our community.

It’s certainly easy to get caught up in convenience and having a huge span of choices. It’s also easy to get mad at a local business because maybe they were a little understaffed the day you were there and the service was slow.

But I think people are forgetting that we are all on the same team here in the Cove. We all want the same things – food, shelter, love, community. We all love this area and the people in it.

Punishing a local business by not shopping there or intentionally spending your money elsewhere is self-defeating. It is possible that the Cove could see continued erosion of locally owned businesses. There is no guarantee that it will not happen here. It has happened in other communities. Why would any local person contribute to that?

Consider Williamsburg. A few years ago, Williamsburg had a couple of large employers, two banks, a grocery store and a daytime ambulance service on call. Today, it is fighting to keep one bank in town.

If we don’t support our local businesses, we might end up with none.

Thanks for reading.

Publisher’s Note: Responsible responses to this opinion are welcome. Please send your thoughts to 113 N. Market St., Martinsburg 16662 or news@mcheraldonline.com. Please include your name, the town where you live and a daytime telephone number so we can contact you if we have a question.