Locally Owned and Operated Coffee Stand: Why Local is So Important
Why is a locally owned and operated coffee stand so important? Why is it worthy of a blog post?
At the risk of sounding self-serving, we will give you our opinion on why it is so important to shop locally, not only for a delicious mocha, but also for other products and services.
We are Madres Espresso, serving the Greater Olympia Metro area with our two coffee stands, one on the West side on Cooper Point Road, the other on the East side on Pacific Avenue. Stop by, seven days per week, to experience firsthand what outstanding customer service is like.
Local coffee stand, local bucks stay local
Consider this: when you shop with a national behemoth, the bulk of the corporation profits head to the national headquarters of that behemoth. Not so with local companies. The money earned locally pays for local employee wages, pays for local taxes, and is invested locally. This is, then, a huge boon for any economy.
Put another way, when you purchase a coffee or espresso at Madres Espresso, the money you pay goes, partially, towards paying wages for the barista who served you. The rest of the money you paid goes to pay local taxes, local suppliers, and then it is banked at local banks.
Not so when you shop at a national chain retailer.
A sense of community and bonding.
Small businesses are the backbone of any local economy. Surely you have heard that said and, in fact, it is true. 67% of local economic growth, nationwide, happens because of local businesses.
Want proof of that? The most glaring example is along the famous Route 66, at one time America’s Roadway. Towns along that famous route were booming in the 40s and 50s, prior to the Interstate Highway System. Once the Interstates were built, local businesses long Route 66 died off, leaving only national chains, and with the dwindling traffic, those national chains eventually left, leaving towns which today are struggling simply to meet the basic necessities.
Local businesses give back to local causes
Without fail, to our knowledge, thriving local businesses are very active in the Chamber of Commerce, and they lead the way in spearheading worthy causes. It’s what you do for neighbors. It’s part of that local pride and sense of community we mentioned earlier in this article.
Lessen the carbon footprint
Why a smaller carbon footprint with local businesses? In a word, transportation. By and large, the supplies purchased by local businesses are purchased from local suppliers. Shipping of goods is local, meaning less fuel used. There is no way around it, local businesses are good for the environment when compared to the big boys headquartered in far-off cities.
Better service.
We can’t prove this, but we sense it in our heart, and you sense it as well: local businesses have better customer service. Why? Obviously, when you are fighting against a national chain with bottomless pockets, it is important to give better customer service than they give, but more importantly, local businesses are serving their friends, their neighbors, those they go to church with, those who have kids in the same school, and those who go to the same public events during the year. It’s just friends serving friends when you shop locally, the way it was hundreds of years ago during simpler times.
A final word about Madres Espresso
Madres is a locally owned, locally operated coffee shop and proud of it. Our thirteen baristas are standing by, eager to show you what local customer service looks like . . . what customer service should look like.
