Supporting Local

I’ll admit, I don’t know all the ins and outs of what goes on behind the scenes when we do or don’t support local. But what I do know is that when we support local, we keep our community businesses alive. And when we do that, we’re also helping to provide jobs for people in our communities, as well as keeping our hard earned money in our economy, which benefits us all in the end.
During this pandemic, it’s especially important to keep supporting local wherever we can. Everyone is hurting from this pandemic, but if we continue to support local businesses, then these businesses will be able to continue employing and paying their workers, which will help lower the number of people who have to get laid off. At least, this is my understanding of it all.

I know a lot of people may not be in a very secure place financially right now, so you may not be able to spend a lot of money in general. And supporting local doesn’t mean having to go out of your way to spend loads of cash on Canadian-made products that you don’t really want or need. But there are things we need to buy right now, or maybe that we want to buy to keep ourselves entertained during this quarantine. So, when you find yourself shopping online, see if you can purchase the same items from a local business.

One way I’ve supported a local business recently is when I purchased new glasses. I’ve been wanting a pair of prescription sunglasses for a while now, and I had been toying with the idea of purchasing a second pair of regular prescription glasses for myself as well. I chose to purchase my new glasses from a company called Bonlook. Bonlook is a Canadian company, and they have really cute styles that are also really inexpensive. It was a win-win!

Like most couples, my boyfriend and I enjoyed going out for meals as a date night activity pre-pandemic. Now we aren’t able to, but it doesn’t mean we have to completely cancel this date night treat! A lot of restaurants are offering delivery or curbside pickup options. We recently ordered from Joey, which is a favourite of ours, and the food was just as delicious as it would have been if we were able to dine in the restaurant. I highly recommend their lettuce wraps, they were so good and surprisingly filling, too!

A really cool thing that Joey restaurants are doing right now is allowing you to “shop their pantry”. If you need pantry staples such as flour or sugar, or even vegetables or meats, you can put in an order with them and get it delivered! They’re also offering meal kits as a substitute for some of their dishes from their menu. I haven’t ordered one, but I imagine they’re a similar concept as the whole “Hello Fresh” thing!

Remember, you don’t have to break the bank to support local. Just try to be more aware of the fact that there are local options for your needs! I know a lot of people are wanting to take advantage of this time to get a bit crafty and try some DIYs at home. I think a lot of us have the instinct to gravitate towards Amazon for any supplies that we might need, but consider if there are local options available. Michaels Craft Stores are offering curbside pickup for online orders. Choosing this option allows you to support local, and it’ll get your products to you sooner than having to wait for them to be delivered.

And remember, when you support local, it really means a lot to the businesses you’re directly helping keep afloat.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and take care of yourselves!

Until next time,
Nadine