[Vision2020] Buy Local Moscow works

[Bill London]

Last month, Buy Local Moscow requested that member businesses respond to an informal poll about holiday sales.  We asked that businesses compare their December 2009 sales with their December 2008 sales --  and if there was a difference in the sales amounts, to explain why the sales totals changed.

Some businesses were not open in 2008 and so could not compare sales.  Some businesses did not improve sales and did not wish to publicize that fact.  In the end, 6 member businesses responded and were willing to speak publicly about their sales history and the impact of Buy Local Moscow on their sales.

To summarize the message from the informal poll:  Buy Local Moscow helped increase holiday sales at locally-owned businesses in December of 2009.
Those local results were in line with a nationwide survey from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (www.ilsr.org) released January 14, 2010. Nationally, according to that survey, locally-owned independent businesses outperformed the average retailer in sales during 2009 holidays, with the independents gaining 2.2% in sales, and the average retailer dropping 0.3%, in December. In addition, those locally-owned businesses in communities with active Buy Local campaigns fared best. Independent retailers in these communities reported an average increase in holiday sales of 3.0%, compared to 1.0% for those in cities without an active Buy Local initiative.

Here are the responses from the poll:

-Marilyn Lysohir, owner of Cowgirl Chocolates:  "2009 was our best year ever. Our December 2009 sales in Moscow were an amazing 31% more than December 2008. There are several reasons for the increase, but I believe the most significant cause of our sales growth is the impact of Buy Local Moscow. Our customers often told me that they decided to buy locally for holiday giving. They believed it was important to do, and important enough to tell me about."




-Gerard Connelly, owner of Tri-State:  "Our December 2009 sales were down from last year in categories related to winter weather (we were down $22,000 in show shovels, for example) because December weather was very mild compared to the past 2 Decembers. However, our December 2009 sales were up about 9% over December 2008 in categories unrelated to weather. For example, our housewares department was up 10% over last year, which was a record for that department.  I cannot isolate the factors or precisely quantify what Buy Local Moscow does for us, but I have no doubt that this continual, on-going, organized effort to raise the consciousness of the population to the benefits of spending their money with locally-owned businesses is very beneficial to our company."




-Heather Alexander, Licensed Massage Practitioner:  "Now people want to buy locally, and when they decide to spend locally for the holidays, they turn towards the idea of giving local services as gifts. I sold twice as many massage gift certificates for the holidays in 2009 than in 2008."




-Kenna Eaton, general manager of the Moscow Food Co-op:  "December sales in 2009 at the Co-op were about 7 percent better than in 2008. There are many factors that might account for this, including Buy Local Moscow which has increased citizens' awareness. It's really hard to know how much direct impact the Buy Local campaign has - it's impossible to separate out the variables - but I think the cumulative effect has helped people realize the value of supporting local businesses and has improved our sales." 




-Arlene Falcon, owner of TyeDye Everything:  "Our store sales increased by 48% from December of 2008 to December of 2009. One reason for that growth is that tie-dye is becoming more popular. Another is that shopping locally is both a national and local trend. I heard repeatedly from my customers that they were making a conscious choice to shop locally."




-Louise Todd, co-owner of Mikeys Greek Gyros:  "We saw a dramatic increase in sales over the holidays. Our per day sales in November and December of 2009 increased by 37% over 2008. We've been in business for 30 years and I think many of our customers see Mikeys as a comfort spot. So they come back. In addition, there are an increasing number of customers who want to support local retailers, and that is due to the impact of Buy Local Moscow and the national movement it represents."







The mission of Buy Local Moscow is to strengthen the social and economic framework of Moscow by supporting and promoting the community's locally-owned independent businesses and by educating the community about the vital role of locally-owned businesses. More than 100 Moscow-based independent businesses have joined Buy Local Moscow since its founding in 2006. More information is available on the website, www.buylocalmoscow.com
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