Big Box vs Mom&Pop

Target had me at hello.  I admit it. I am in there once a week (at least).  What sucked me in, as I suspect it did for many of you dear readers, it its one-stop shopping experience.  I don’t need to go to AutoZone, Stride Rite, Hallmark, and Harris Teeter all in one day- instead I head to one place. Better carbon footprint, no?

What I’ve recently come to realize, is that I’ve limited my shopping experience mainly to major corporations.  Hardly a Mom&Pop operation in my retail repertoire. 

Cinda Baxter would like to change that. She has started a Mom&Pop revolution.  Cinda’s brainchild The 3/50 Project- is a movement to save the brick and mortar businesses that our nation was built on.  Consider these thought provoking points:

3                    What three independently owned businesses would you miss if they disappeared? Stop in. Say hello.  Pick up something that brings a smile.  Your purchases are what keeps those businesses around.

50                If half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue*.  Imagine the positive impact if ¾ of the employed population did that.

Have you ever given much thought to your local economy? I know I surely haven’t- until now.  Join me in supporting The 3/50 Project- and shop some great businesses in your hood.

*Employment statistics courtesy U.S. Labor Department 2/6/09 report; 68/43 stats courtesy Civic Economics 2008 study.