Shift Your Shopping NH

Shift Your Shopping this season, and give a gift to our community

A message from Seacoast Local and Monadnock Buy Local, co-leaders of the Shift Your Shopping NH Holiday Campaign

In New Hampshire, we pride ourselves for our independent thinking, ingenuity and self-reliance — qualities reflected in our entrepreneurial spirit. According to the Small Business Administration’s latest Small Business Profile, our state is home to more than 132,432 small businesses (employing fewer than 500 people), comprising 99 percent of all New Hampshire businesses.

Our small businesses, large in number, also provide the biggest source of jobs across the state, employing 51.5 percent of all New Hampshire private-sector workers, compared to an average of 48 percent nationally.

Whether you run a business or not, we all have an important role to play in supporting New Hampshire’s entrepreneurial success. As many of us look to share gifts and celebrate the season with friends, family and coworkers, we also have the opportunity to give a gift to our community. When making holiday purchases, we ask you to “Shift Your Shopping” and choose locally owned and independent businesses.

More Reasons to Shift Your Shopping

Local, independent retail businesses help employ many more people than just those on the sales floor. They’re more likely to bank with your local banks, and buy from other local businesses compared to absentee-owned businesses. They’re also more likely to hire local service providers like accountants, graphic designers, sign-makers, webmasters and other skilled positions — jobs for aspiring entrepreneurs and the middle class.

Purchasing from Amazon or other remote online retailers provides virtually no economic benefit to our community. The American Independent Business Alliance calculates that 1 percent of the cost of an online purchase will go back into your community — if the delivery person is a local resident. On average, more than three times as much of each dollar spent at a local, independent store recirculates in our local economy compared to a dollar spent at chain outlets. Capitalizing on this local multiplier effect is key to creating jobs and wealth in our own community.

Local non-profit organizations depend largely on the contributions of local businesses. If our kids’ sports teams, hunger relief, local land trusts, and the PTA raffles rely on that support, we must recognize they can’t do it without us.

The long-term network of relationships fostered by local business also cements commitment to civic institutions like schools, churches and fraternal leagues that aid not just economic prosperity, but community cohesion and trust.

While we don’t have to swear off ever shopping online or at a chain store, we should look for ways to integrate our values into our purchasing decisions. If most of us shifted even one or two more purchases to independent, community-based businesses this season, we would create dramatic, positive changes in our local economies and help induce new jobs in New Hampshire.

So do yourself — and your community — a favor this year by shifting a bit more spending to your local merchants, service providers, artisans and others. Along with helping your neighbors and community, you may just find “going local” turns holiday shopping into a far more relaxing and enjoyable experience: one that rewards both you and your community.

Karen Marzloff, Seacoast Local

Jen Risley, Monadnock Buy Local

From November 1st to December 31st each year, we pledge to work extra hard to encourage community members to shift more of their holiday spending from chain and online giants to locally owned businesses. 

To make our “think local first” message stronger, we're partnering together to promote this year's Shift Your Shopping campaign.  This national movement encourages citizens to support job creation and economic growth through their holiday purchases at locally owned & independent businesses. 

Want to join us?  Contact us and we'll send you more details.

Shift Your Shopping Season includes:

2018 NH Partners

NH Independent Business Networks

• Monadnock Buy Local
• Local First Alliance
• White Mountain Independents

• atHOME Magazine
• Portsmouthnh.com

• Belletetes, Inc.
• Bric A Brac Upcycle Emporium
• Brie & Vessie
  
• Brown Computer Solutions
• Cheshire Garden
  
• The Cheshire Horse
  
• Country Bridals
• Cove of Treasures
• The Dragonfly Shop
• East Hill Farm
• The Farm Cafe
  
• Farmers' Market of Keene
• Flawlyss Skin
• Food Connects
• Givey's Barber Shop
  
• Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce
• Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
• Hannah Grimes Marketplace
• Harrisville Designs
• Hobbs Jewelers
  
• Jaffrey Civic Center
• Joseph's Coat
  
• Keene First Friday Art Hop
• LuvINK&Paper
• The Luxury Photo Booth
• Mayfair Farm
• MB Massage Studio
  
• The Melamine Cup
• Monadnock Arts Alive
• Monadnock Food Co-op
• Monadnock Sustainability Network
• Monadnock Time Exchange
• Nest Children's Shop
• One Stop Country Pet Supply
  
• Savings Bank of Walpole
• Steele's Stationers
  
• TEAM Jaffrey
• Ted's Shoe & Sport
• The Toadstool Bookshops
• VizionZ
• Walpole Mountain View Winery
• WS Badger
• The Yoga Space

National Business Networks

• American Independent Business Alliance