SANTA FE - The New Mexico Economic Development Department and New Mexico MainStreet Program encourage holiday shoppers to shop local first this holiday season. New Mexico MainStreet Communities have launched a shop local campaign this holiday season to encourage citizens to shop downtown at their local main street businesses.

"Local small businesses in MainStreet districts are the heart of so many New Mexico communities," said Economic Development Secretary Barela. "It takes risk and a lot hard work to open a business and by supporting these businesses this holiday season we will see the benefits all year long by having these local retailers locate in our downtowns."

"Shopping in our New Mexico MainStreet districts positively impacts locally owned businesses and the community," says Rich Williams, New Mexico MainStreet Program Director. "Dollars spent in MainStreet businesses are more likely to re-circulate in the community. This creates jobs and builds a stronger tax base."

Buying local benefits local communities by:

• Retaining money in the community – Each time that money is spent at locally owned businesses, more money is available to support other local businesses like retail stores, movie theaters, auto repair shops, restaurants, health services, etc., and more local jobs are created

• Local businesses generate local jobs - Income to those businesses is returned in the form of salaries, which are spent locally as well. And don't forget all those youth team sponsorships, raffle items, high school scholarships and other investments in our community that are made by local merchants. They don't have to do any of that, but they do because they care.

• Retains local flavor -Experiences at local establishments are completely unique, expressing the local flavor of the area.

• Increases community involvement - The men and women who own and operate businesses downtown have deep community roots. They sit next to us at athletic events, coach our kids, and volunteer in our churches and charities. The brick-and-mortar small-business owners in our community represent the backbone of our local economy.

Studies support the idea that buying local has significant economic, job and environmental benefits:

• Money spent at locally-owned businesses has three times the impact on your community than money spent elsewhere.1
• Local businesses contribute more to community charities.2
• Local independent businesses create local jobs.3
• Small businesses, which are often located in downtown – MainStreet - districts, are often in historic properties. One of key aspects of revitalization is the rehabilitation and reuse of historic properties. Preserving buildings is inherently energy efficient, because it reduces demand for new resources, reduces waste from demolition and construction, and preserves the energy embodied in an existing building.4

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1 2002 case study in Austin, Texas, showed that for every $100 in consumer spending at a national bookstore in Austin, the local economic impact was only $13. The same amount spent at locally based bookstores yielded $45, or more than three times the local economic impact (Civic Economics, Austin Unchained, October 2003).
2 A study of businesses in Oregon detailing charitable giving showed that when in-kind contributions were included, small firms gave an average of $789 per employee, medium-sized firms $172, and large firms $334 (NFIB Small Business Policy Guide). Additionally, large firms contribute primarily to the area where the corporation is headquartered, not necessarily where they do business.
3 David Korten, Yes! Magazine, September, 2002. Also, according to a recent analysis by Civic Economics, an Austin, Texas-based research firm, if residents in West Michigan redirected 10 percent of their spending to locally owned companies, this shift would create 1,600 jobs.
4 New Rules Project, Home Town Advantage Bulletin, September 2003.