What’s pink and round, and local all over? It’s BC Buy Local, which proudly celebrates shopping local, and aims to promote the contributions that BC businesses make to our economy and our communities. The goal of the campaign is to illuminate our exciting local market, making BC-based businesses, products, food and wines more visible to consumers. The fourth annual Buy Local Week in BC will be held November 30-December 6, and kicks off Monday, November 30th with an event to showcase the big impact buying local has on BC’s local economy and to discuss how local retailers need to compete online. So what exactly is considered “local,” you may ask? Based on a research study called “Power of Local Purchasing” by LOCO BC (who run the BC Buy Local program) they found that locally owned and operated businesses actually re-circulate dollars in our local economy 2.6 times more than their non-locally based counterparts. No surprise really — these are the same people who make up our community. “For every $100 dollars spent with a BC-based business, $46 will stay in our economy (vs $18 for non-local counterparts),” the LOCO website reads. “At LOCO we’ve been working on creating a definition of local that centres on maximizing the local economic impact consumers and purchasers can generate. These definitions are at the centre of the BC Buy Local campaign.” The Hastings North BIA is very proud to be participating in BC Buy Local, as it holds so many of our same beliefs for spending our consumer dollars right here in our beautiful ‘hood. We are blessed to live and work in such a buzzing hub of locally owned businesses, and this campaign helps support the notion that buying locally isn’t a virtuous idea — but rather a sustainable one that works for the community and all of its citizens. For more information about Buy Local BC, and to see a list of participating retailers, please visit their website. If you’re a local EVV retailer, and you’d like to participate, click here to join. And always, don’t forget to stay social on Twitter and Facebook. 