We hear the ads around the start of the holiday season every year, reminding us how important it is to support local business. But what about the rest of the year? Our cities need strong Shop Local campaigns that encourage local consumers to get behind local businesses more than just one Saturday a year!

Local businesses support our city’s economy by providing jobs, goods and services that we all need. They also generate local sales tax revenue that feeds into our city services. They are an important piece of our thinknlocal community cycle and most city governments are committed to supporting them. But it can be challenging and expensive for cities to run effective Shop Local campaigns.