This holiday season, remember to BUY LOCAL!

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce is reminding you of the importance of buying local this holiday season. In today's economic climate, the decision to support Rochester area businesses is ever more important. Even a small shift in the amount of money now spent with companies and organizations outside of the Rochester Area to companies and organizations within the Rochester area could make a sizable impact in revenue, jobs and salaries right here in our own community.

Although you might save a few bucks shopping outside of the Rochester area, it's important to understand the true cost of keeping your purchases local. Not only are you supporting locally owned and/or operated stores, but you are making a direct impact in the community in which we live, work and play. The Chamber understands you can't shift 100 percent of your out-of-area purchases this holiday season, but even a small shift can help.

In a survey done by the Independent Business Forum, it was found that "Buy Local" campaigns, such as Buy Rochester, helped boost holiday spending at independent stores last year. The survey, which included retailers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., found that, even in a difficult economic climate, many independent retailers held their own and even saw sales gains by emphasizing their local ownership and community roots.

The survey found that independent retailers in cities with active "Buy Local" campaigns reported much larger increases in holiday sales on average than those in cities without such campaigns. Independent retailers in these cities reported an average gain in sales of about 2 percent over the 2006 holiday season, while those in cities without "Buy Local" campaigns saw an increase of less than 0.5 percent.

Share with us on Facebook how you are buying local this holiday season!