Fall 2009
Cater to the Conscientious Consumer By Barbara Scofidio

Article Resources

Blackstone's of Beacon Hill
617.227.4646
BlackstonesBeaconHill.com

Local First
616.808.3788
LocalFirst.com

Jean Tanler, Loren Talbot
Local Labels
718.554.3973
LocalLabels.com

Packaged Facts
800.298.5294
PackagedFacts.com

Sustainable Connections
360.647.7093
SustainableConnections.org

The 3/50 Project
The350Project.net

The new locavores

Ethical consumerism. The phrase might sound intimidating but increasing numbers of your customers are taking it up. Consumer purchases are increasingly reflecting customers’ values—whether through the buying of green goods or fair trade coffee.

The numbers attest to the fact. As early as 2007, in its report labeled “Ethical Consumers and Corporate Responsibility: The Market and Trends for Ethical Products in Food and Beverage, Personal Care and Household Items,” the market research company Packaged Facts found that “the trend towards upscale and premium products with an ethical bent has taken root across America as consumers increasingly preach their social concerns through their pocketbooks. Sales of organic, hormone-free, eco-friendly, locally-grown, cruelty-free, and other ethical products have skyrocketed.”

The report further projects that sales of products containing ethical elements will maintain double-digit growth over the next five years, surpassing $57 billion in 2011.

The “shop local” movement is a part of this umbrella and the word “locavore”—a person who only buys products made within a 100 miles of home—even became an official part of the English vocabulary recently.

Jean Tanler and Loren Talbot believe the locavore movement, which first evolved from a commitment to buying local food, is here to stay, as “people discover the hazards of industrial agriculture and the benefits of local food, which besides its high nutrient value and flavor, also helps to preserve open space, reduce our environmental impact and strengthen communities and our connection to the land.” This, in turn, has translated to other arenas outside of food, they point out. “People want to strengthen their communities, keep their dollars local by choosing products and vendors from the region. Small businesses and manufacturers most often reinvest their money in the communities in which they live and work through their purchasing choices and hiring of local labor,” Tanler and Talbot add.

Surprise side effects of the recession

Of course there’s the recession. While it is true that consumers race to find a product at the cheapest price when times are tough, the economic crisis has given a sense of purpose—even altruism—to everyday purchases. Consumers have started figuring out that if they are going to shop, that they might as well do it in a way that supports the local economy, Main Street, and suppliers who are based in their own backyards.

Tanler and Talbot of Local Labels say the price points on the products they sell, average about $38. They point out that this offers a low-cost alternative to luxury gifts whose origins and methods of manufacturing might be unknown.

“We also believe we are in line with the monumental change that is taking place in American values—from empty consumerism to purchasing with a conscience,” they say. “Buying local is an antidote to the current recession since it promotes high-paying blue color jobs in the manufacturing sector and funnels money back into the local economy rather than to multinational companies located elsewhere, whether out-of-state or overseas.  Buying local also decreases our sizable trade deficit,” they add.

It’s why buying local has become a permanent shift despite the recession—in other words, values-based shopping bucks recessionary down trends.

The beginnings

Though Local First seems like a new concept—the founding association for the movement—the Business Alliance for Local Economies—was started in 2001. Local First groups in various regions, such as Northwest Washington State’s Sustainable Connections, also first began emerging in the early 2000’s. Their initial mission was to promote the economic benefits of shopping local, but many evolved beyond that to host special events, help members to purchase and advertise cooperatively, and partner with local nonprofits to benefit the environment and those in need.

One of the nation’s oldest Local First Groups, Washington’s Sustainable Connections, with 600 member businesses, has proof that its efforts have shifted the mindset in the region. One survey found that 69 percent of Bellingham, WA, residents are familiar with the group’s Think Local First program—and three out of five respondents said they had changed their behavior to deliberately choose a local business first.

It’s hard to walk around downtown and not see our message,” says Michelle Grandy, manager of the group’s Think Local First effort, which is featured on posters, decals, bumper stickers and ads in the local paper. She also attributes their success to the culture of the community, “which already had these values in place,” she says.

This points to the fact that re-emphasizing messages plays a great role in changing mindsets.

Stocking local goods

The “shop local” movement is a confluence of many different factors but primary among them is a desire to decrease one’s “carbon footprint.” The reasoning is that the greater distance a product is shipped, the more negative its environmental impact and subsequently the higher one’s carbon footprint. Since products made locally and sold locally don’t need to be shipped large distances, a customer buying these will generate a small carbon footprint.

Of course, gift shops like yours differentiate themselves by the breadth of merchandise from all over. But if you want to encourage the “locavores” to shop in your store, it’s not enough to encourage them to patronize a local business (yours). These customers are also looking to buy products made locally—it’s the carbon footprint part of the equation. So if you really want to be a part of the movement, it would be wise to take a close look at your merchandise mix.

Jennifer Hill does. The co-owner of Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill in Boston, “made a conscious decision about a year and a half ago to carry items that are made in the local area.” It was spurred on in part, she says, by customers who were bringing all the “Made in China” labels to her attention.

One of the products Hill stocks is a line of decoupage plates with local historic images, called Neptune 1. These are made by local interior designer Phyllis Tracy and graphic artist Susan Newberg. Since she started, Hill has continuously refined her product mix, and now locally made items account for about 50 percent of the store’s inventory. Items stocked include framed prints by local artists, glassware, and jewelry.

Though it’s a common conception that locally made items costs more, Hill hasn’t found that to be the case. “I would say that prices for locally made items are right in line,” she says.

Cinda Baxter, founder of The 3/50 Project (another effort to support independent retailers) and a well-known speaker on the Local First movement, says the “buy local” movement and its associated ethical consumerism values are here to stay. “Just as the tragedies of 9/11 brought enormous numbers of consumers back to faith, family, and friends in their personal and social interactions,” she says, “the financial experience of the past year has taught consumers to spend with more forethought, both in terms of price and of placement.”

“I truly believe we’re witnessing a mental shift that’s here to stay for a long, long time,” Baxter adds.

Barbara Scofidio

Barbara Scofidio is co-owner of noa jewelry, fine handcrafts & gifts in Groton and West Concord, MA, featuring the work of 200 local artists. She is also co-founder of Nashoba Local First and a steering committee member of the Concord Independent Business Alliance.




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