I talked a lot about shopping locally this month. Heck, I created an entire BINGO game – in partnership with about 20 downtown businesses – just to, essentially, bribe folks to consider a local shop over a big box retailer this holiday season. 

But what about me? 

It’s easy to talk about the importance of shopping locally. But it’s harder to turn talk into action – especially during the busiest months of the year. I also think the call to “shop local” is important, but vague and hard to put into practice. 

When I founded Sioux Falls Simplified nearly four years ago, I made an internal commitment to support local businesses more. (Again, vague and hard to put into practice.) 

• After a few years, I’m just now figuring out how to slowly and sustainably integrate supporting local businesses into my daily/weekly routine. So I wanted to share some of my own experience. 
• I’ve got plenty of work to do yet, and it hasn’t always been easy. But these efforts to keep my spending local have really paid off for me in both tangible and intangible ways.

From where I set my coffee meetings to where I buy my shampoo, here’s how I support local businesses even when it means a little extra work or money. Or, as the youths would say, lemme show you the receipts: 

Making a habit. The less thinking I do, the better. While this takes a little legwork to start, it becomes second nature after a while. 

• For example, I buy laundry detergent sheets from Terra Shepherd instead of big plastic-y jugs from Target. It’s a more environmentally friendly choice – a personal goal of mine – but it’s also $18 I keep in Sioux Falls. 
• And that’s a recurring purchase. When I run out of laundry sheets, I pop in and pick up more when I’m downtown for work or whatever else. 

Pause before purchasing. I’m as susceptible to social media ads as the next gal, don’t get me wrong. But when I see a product that spurs me to click “add to cart,” I increasingly force myself to pause. 

Is this something I really need? Almost never. Do I still want it  anyway? OK, maybe. Can I find the same thing or something similar in a local shop? Find out.

• This pause helps me in a number of ways.
• No. 1, it keeps me from mindless Instagram purchases at 2 a.m. when I’m laying on the floor of my kids’ room waiting for them to fall back asleep. That alone saves more money than I’d like to admit.
• No. 2, it forces me to think about all of the offerings in our community. 
  • A recent example: I want to buy magna-tiles for my kids this Christmas (don’t worry, they can’t read, so this won’t spoil it for them). It would be SO easy to just hop on Amazon and “add to cart.” But it takes the same time and effort to Google “Child’s Play Toys – Sioux Falls,” find a similar — if not same — set, “add to cart” and walk in later for in-store pickup. 
  • That’s another $50 (the cost of keeping kids entertained) going to someone in Sioux Falls rather than lining Jeff Bezos’ pocket. 

Find the local person who does the big box thing. My younger sister got married this summer, and she needed about 200 color-printed wedding programs. 

• There were plenty of options – we could’ve ordered print copies from Canva, the site we used to design the programs.
• But my “shop local” spidey senses told me to ask around Sioux Falls. Lo and behold, my friends at Panther Premier Print Solutions were there to help. 
  • They helped me pick paper weight and type, and printed everything within a couple of days. So easy. (And then I knew who to call to print 1,000 copies of the BIN-GO Shop Local card – another $470 staying in the community). 

But, Megan, the things you’re suggesting take more time and brain power, and I’m already carrying a huge mental load. 

I hear you. Trust me when I say, I hear you.

I’m not suggesting you change all of your purchasing decisions overnight. That wouldn’t be fun or sustainable. And if it doesn’t feel good, you won’t do it again. 

The thing is, it’s all about small, incremental changes – just like anything in life. 

• Maybe you start by picking the jar of locally-made Inca salsa at Hy-Vee instead of a generic/big box brand. 
• Maybe you get a few nice soaps from Sweetgrass Soapery as stocking stuffers to sit alongside the big bag of candy you bought at Walmart, because we all do it. 
• Maybe instead of hitting the mall on Black Friday, you wait a day and head downtown on Small Business Saturday. 
• Stressed about parking? Maybe downtown is too much, and you hit up Dawley Farms, Lake Lorraine or one of the other shopping destinations with locally owned businesses and franchises instead.
• Maybe you keep your online shopping habit, but instead of Amazon, you Google search Sioux Falls-based retailers (or follow them on Instagram – many local retailers are active there). 
• Maybe buy a bag of coffee beans from Daylily or The Breaks as a special treat for Thanksgiving – and then, heck, maybe it becomes a recurring purchase.

It starts small. But each of those $5 or $20 purchases is like a tiny investment in our community. It’s a little vote for the type of community you want to see in Sioux Falls. 

Yeah, that sounds all fine. But it’s still more work just so I can feel warm and fuzzy. What’s in it for me, really?

Yeah, I struggled with this  too. I know it’s important to shop locally. I know it keeps more money in the community, uplifts other business owners like myself, yada, yada, yada. 

But I’m already at Target, and I’m not making another darn stop today, so help me. 

The thing is, when you consistently shop locally there’s this magic that happens. Over time, that magic forms into what I can only describe as a real and true community.

I feel like Meg Ryan in a ‘90s rom-com when I walk into certain local businesses and am greeted by name. The people behind the counter became my friends. They know my kids’ names. I feel warm and fuzzy, yes, but I also feel like I’m part of something special. 

• The other day, Charlie at Terra Shepherd recommended a lotion for me, and guess what, I LOVE it. 
• When Marcela Salas tells me to try a new food at Salas Salsas or BibiSol, I will eat it with zero questions asked because she never leads me astray. 
• I love to order a “barista’s choice” at Coffea or The Breaks because it’s a fun, low-risk way to try something new and 10 out of 10 times, I love it. 

It feels exciting to build relationships with the people you’re buying from. There’s trust there, and the things you buy feel more special. Those relationships take time and effort, yes, but the payoff is exponential. 

I’ve also seen real, tangible benefits to supporting local businesses. When I come up with an idea for a gimmicky holiday BINGO game, for example, these small businesses happily bought in. 

• These folks are more likely to donate to a silent auction for a nonprofit I care about, sponsor my kids’ future sports teams, and, heck, even advertise in Sioux Falls Simplified. 

Those benefits are not immediate. It can take years, and a lot of the benefits of shopping locally won’t come back directly. You may never have a kid on a soccer team supported by a local hardware store, but don’t you want to live in a community where those kinds of things happen? 

Big-box shopping is instant gratification. They have lower prices, more selection, more ease of customer experience. But those places aren’t where I take my out-of-town friends when they visit. They’re not the fun stops I make after a Sunday brunch with my sisters.

I love all of the cool, weird, unique local businesses in Sioux Falls. It’s part of what makes this community what it is. I love that I walk into a coffee shop, and the person behind the counter reps merch from a local record store. I love that the cashier at the toy store asks me how my parents are doing. I love being part of a community. 

For me, it’s worth investing in – even if it’s just a few bucks at a time.

Please email me with your own tips, advice, cool finds, and stores I need to check out. I want it all.