Keeping your holiday shopping dollars local can also boost the economy of Central New York. That's one reason Syracuse First founder Chris Fowler is encouraging shoppers to consider buying local as they head out to stores this holiday season.
Fowler says if Central New Yorkers make one out of every ten purchases or transactions a local one, it could make a huge impact on Onondaga County alone.
“If we got people to shift 10% of their spending, we could increase the economic activity in this county by $130 million, we could create 1200 jobs and we would have a $26 million tax impact on the local economy” said Fowler. “That’s by making one of 10 of your decisions differently, shifting it to local businesses where possible.”
He says that could be anything from buying a cup of coffee or groceries, to holiday gift giving and banking. And he says consumers can also make local decisions on something made in china.
“We’re in a world where mass produced products are made somewhere else,” he said. “There’s a difference between going to a chain electronics store, for example, as opposed to a locally owned electronics store that sells the same product.”
Fowler believes the buy local movement is gaining traction in Central New York, especially in the area of food and agricultural products.
