It’s clear that St. Paul has many people in the community who want to make a difference. A gathering of about 100 people came together to hear a dynamic presentation by former MLA Doug Griffiths and author of the book 13 Ways to Kill a Community, Thursday night.
The stories Griffiths shares as he speaks are real. They are descriptions of communities, facing large and small problem, which could very easily exist in our own community.
One of the points that Griffiths touched on during his presentation was the idea of shopping local. And if ever there was an ideal time of the year to focus on this idea, it is the upcoming holiday season.
This Saturday, dubbed as “Super Saturday,” many businesses in town are hoping there will be at least a little extra traffic coming through their doors, as they reap some of the economic benefits that come along with holiday shopping.
Griffiths noted that it is often said that for every $1 spent in a community, that same dollar will touch on average seven hands before it leaves the community. Although there may be some lucrative elsewhere, there is also a feel-good reason to shop local.
Helping a neighbour’s business succeed, or supporting a business that in turn supports your son’s local hockey league, while also attracting more businesses to come to St. Paul by keeping dollars in the community, are just a few of the benefits that are easy to think of.
Another interesting point that Griffiths brought up ties into a social media post the Town of St. Paul made just over a week ago, asking locals what businesses they would like to see come to town.
While some consumers said they were scared of certain businesses coming into town, saying it would kill current businesses; Griffiths noted that while he toured the province, he noticed a trend. If a small community of just over 1,000 people had two grocery stores, both those businesses faired well. If a similar community had just one store, it would struggle, as people would all together leave the community to shop.
Competition is in fact a good thing.
So, as we wrap up our Christmas shopping in the next few weeks, take a moment to explore our local shops, we may all discover a few perfect gifts by simply driving down the street.
