Shop Local

At the Kasson Chamber of Commerce meeting last week there was a brief discussion on how businesses can promote shopping local. Once a month the DCI shopper runs a page with commentary from business people on the importance of shopping locally.

When Superintendent Mark Matuska was hired we met and one of his first questions was, "What can we do for you?", meaning what can the school do for the DCI. Those were refreshing words to hear from someone representing an entity  that frequently asks small town business for donations.

What many people do not realize is that when businesses get local support they are able to do more and put more money back into the community-whether it be for someone in need or one of the numerous booster clubs.

Shop local. Support the local business. Those are tough words to preach to the people who enjoy the benefits of a small community and work in Rochester. To many of them Rochester is shopping local.
I am not sure if it is possible to convince the general population we need their support. My family has been supporting local business and shopping locally whenever possible. I'd be lying If I said we did not do business in the larger community, but we try to purchase local when possible.

"NO" is a tough word for a business person to say when someone walks in asking for a donation. I talked to one business owner who gets requests for donations four to five times a week.

There is  strong community support, but based on the percentage of the people who live here, the numbers are concerning. I know that I am preaching to the wrong people here because, for one, anyone reading this does buy the paper, and that supports our community. The people who should read this don't subscribe to the paper, buy their groceries out of town and purchase hardware at the big box store.

Take a look at the Shop Local section in next week’s shopper and you will see a partial list of donations made by local businesses. With the complete list we could have printed a full page!