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Opinion Editorials Now more than ever, shop locally
Now more than ever, shop locally
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The nation is suffering through one of its worst economic downturns in
generations. Our state, our region and our community are all feeling
the impact. People are out of work. Retirement savings are dwindling.
Businesses in all sectors are cutting back and everyone, it seems, in
one way or another is feeling the bite of this recession — certainly
some more than others. The situation doesn’t portend a very robust holiday season, especially when compared to other years. But it doesn’t have to be as gloomy as the “experts’’ are predicting if we choose to do the bulk of our holiday shopping locally rather than heading out of town or shopping online. Our area’s retailers are feeling the pinch of the recession, too. Some are barely hanging on as we head into the season that normally provides the bulk of many retailers’ annual profits. Between the stores in Union and Wallowa counties, shoppers can find the kind of merchandise that can fulfill most Christmas wishes. They just need to give it a try before they head out to the Tri-Cities, Boise or Portland, and before they go online. Money spent locally recirculates in the community. It’s probably true that most families are planning on spending less this Christmas. Families whose primary breadwinners are out of work have no choice. The rest of us are simply scaling back. But we can scale back and still help our community if we simply make a commitment to at least try to do a lot of our shopping here in Northeast Oregon. Check out what our stores offer. Go downtown. Head out to the Island City strip. Visit Elgin, Union and by all means don’t forget to plan a trip to Wallowa County. You’ll be surprised at what you can find. Some readers might be saying right now, “Well, The Observer has a vested interest in advocating the need to shop locally.’’ And they’d be right. The Observer, for 112 years, has a vested interest in this community. We want our community to grow, to prosper, to get better. But we realize that changes in shopping habits have taken a toll on local merchants. And the weak economy has created a double-whammy. Shopping locally is in everyone’s best interest. Our retailers need us — at whatever level we can see our way clear to spend. |
