Aug 8, 2009

Cities buy into ‘shop local’ campaignsBy Kelly JohnsonSacramento.BizJournals.com

Gift cards for buying cars in Elk Grove.

A promotion for shoppers to spend $30 on Aug. 30 in Davis.

Possible changes to city charters to allow preferential bidding to local suppliers.

“Shop local” campaigns — for both consumer and business-to-business spending — are high priorities these days as local communities and business groups try to prop up revenue and the local tax base.

Some communities, such as Elk Grove, are acting in response to the recession. Others have additional reasons: Downtown Davis merchants want to boost spending in their part of town before the big-box Target store opens in October. The West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce and the city of West Sacramento started planning their “shop local” program — which launches within a month — before the economy tanked. With construction of new shopping centers in the past couple of years, West Sacramento now has many more shops to offer residents and the daytime work force.

All these communities want consumers to patronize their local businesses. They also want businesses within their boundaries to buy their supplies and services from other local businesses. And local governments themselves want to buy local.

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