Back in the early 1980s, I worked for a time at a Link hardware store in Vancouver. It was a well-stocked store and the goods were sourced from all over the country and many places in the U.S. There were also quite a few European imports. Just about everything was of pretty good quality.
Then a major retail chain bought out the company and the stock changed radically. Product after product was replaced with lower-cost, lower-quality goods that were invariably made in China. I remember taking home a hammer and it breaking on the second or third hit. But the products were cheap, and the buyers bought them.
This was globalization. It was happening everywhere, and it’s been going on now for more than 30 years, taking a devastating toll on North America’s manufacturing base and the jobs and communities it once supported. It’s a major reason for the outcome of the U.S. presidential election this month.
While manufacturing has taken a beating from globalization, similar trends have rocked small business in recent years. Online shopping and big box stores have placed enormous pressures on small, local retailers, who now have to compete in a marketplace that is essentially global in scale.
Just as those shoppers in the early ’80s had no idea they were collectively destroying much of their own manufacturing base by buying cheap imports, retail shoppers who can’t be bothered with patronizing small businesses in their own communities are playing out a similar dynamic today.
Small business is aware of the challenge and is finding ways to fight back. Christine Turner, who owns Embellish Emporium in Gibsons Park Plaza and Flourish Boutique in the Landing, has for three straight years offered an alternative to the Black Friday shopping trend with a “Shop Small Saturday” promotion held during the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend. Joined by Park Plaza neighbours The Seasoned Kitchen and Giggle ’N Bloom, the stores offer special deals and donate a portion of their sales to the Elves Club.
Donating to charities and other community causes, keeping money in local circulation and providing significant employment and taxes – those are the key contributions that small businesses make.
With Christmas shopping now getting into full swing, it’s something to bear in mind. Buying locally is an investment in the community. It’s that simple.
