I grew up in a small town in North Central Idaho. In the 1950’s, there were 767 residents, 2 grocery stores, a lumber and hardware store, a dry goods store, bank, 3 full service gas stations, yes they actually washed your windows when you gassed up, a small boutique called “The Smart Shop” and a pharmacy with a soda fountain that made the best ice cream milk shakes and banana splits.

We lived about two hours from Lewiston, and the road was challenging to get there and back, especially in the winter. In the early 1960’s, a new and much improved road was built to Lewiston, enabling us to get there in a little over an hour. The trips that had been made to Lewiston every month or two, were now made by the residents every week or two. Shopping was much more attractive in Lewiston, there were so many more stores, better prices and such variety. The residents of our little town began spending their money in Lewiston, not at home. Now, in 2008, my little town has 500 people, 1 struggling grocery store, no pharmacy, no hardware store, no dry goods store, no boutique and the 2 gas stations are run by credit cards. Card cards do not wash windows, check oil or ask how my dad is.

I now live in Boise and my husband and I own an office furniture store. We have owned this business since 1985. In twenty three short, (or long, depending on how you look at it) years, we have seen many changes. In 1985 ALL of the furniture we sold was made in America, frequently we had furniture built here in Boise for our customers. ALL of our competitors were fellow Boiseans. ALL of our customers were from our region.

Now we struggle to find manufacturers that make furniture in America; we promote those companies above all others. Some of our competitors are still local, but many more are big box stores such as Office Depot and Staples. Money that those stores earn leaves the state to pay corporate overhead in other locations. Our installation crew handles many installations every month for furniture that is purchased by corporate buyers in other states and shipped to our warehouse to be installed into offices in our area. Many of the small local and national furniture manufacturers we used in previous years are gone, they can not compete with imports from China, Malaysia and other Asian countries, even Mexico struggles to compete.So when you need to buy something, look at the locally owned stores in your community. Their profits and efforts go back into the community in which you live. Protect your neighborhoods, your downtowns and the people who follow a dream of doing something that is not a clone of a business in 29 other locations. When I visit other cities, I don’t dream of dining in yet another McDonald’s, Applebees or IHOP. I look for the uniquely different local restaurants that have something special of their own to offer. Shop local and buy American. I miss “The Smart Shop” and Marv at the soda fountain