Local Businesses Highlight Their Place in the Community

Carlucci’s Bakery doesn’t have the corporate muscle or advertising power of the chain bakeries and restaurants. So local owner Therese Martin puts her effort into making the food the best she can to keep her customers coming back for more.

And they do. In fact, Martin estimates about three-fourths of the patrons at her locally owned and operated bakery in Salt Lake are faces she sees every day.

“I think it’s a fair fight (with national chains) on some grounds. Our quality is better than a lot of the chains,” says Martin, who has owned Carlucci’s for almost seven years. “We have a more natural product and don’t use any preservatives or chemicals in the food.”

That commitment to quality has helped Martin and other local, independent business owners keep their shop doors open in Salt Lake. Those homegrown businesses will be in the spotlight this week during “Independents Week” in Salt Lake, a weeklong celebration of local shops sponsored by Buy Local First Utah.

The non-profit group encourages consumers to think about local choices before opting for a national chain. This year’s Independents Week theme – Live Local – is a start to getting Utah residents to think about the day-to-day ways they can support a local business, says Alison Einerson, executive director of Buy Local First Utah.

“If you can buy from local produce versus produce that’s brought in from South America – great. If you stop someplace and get coffee every day, make it a local coffee shop instead of a chain — that makes a difference,” she says.

“Going local” doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite chain-clothing store, either. It just means looking at all the options before simply succumbing to the latest advertisement you saw at a chain store, Einerson adds.

Those everyday choices can add up, with about $68 of every $100 spent at a local, independent store staying in the community. That’s compared to about $43 that stays in state from a chain store; the rest is shipped out of state and often out of the country.

“The person that owns that coffee shop, they pay taxes here, their kid goes to school here, they buy supplies here,” she says. “It keeps more money literally flowing into our local economy.”

Since its inception in 2005, Buy Local First Utah has supported, encouraged and advocated for those local businesses. The member-based group now has more than 1,500 community partners and puts out a directory of local business each year, which are all at least 51 percent owned by local residents.

“Locally owned, independent businesses reflect the character of our communities. Owners of local businesses live here. They are our neighbors,” the groups Web site states. “Their products and services support and sustain the needs of our residents, and they play a vital role in our social networks. In fact, local businesses mirror who we are and what we value as a community. They help to create a sense of place.”

Without the deep advertising pockets of mega chains, marketing for those independents can be a formidable hurdle. Like Martin and her bakery, they have to rely almost wholly on word of mouth to get their name out in the community.

Martin, in turn, also supports other independent businesses by buying her ingredients and business supplies locally.

“If I’m buying something from a small business, then the money stays in the community,” she says.

Einerson hopes to help some of Utah’s independent business get on the consumer radar this week with a series of events during Independents Week:

• July 1 — 7 p.m. — Wasatch Community Gardens present an Eat Local Tomatoes Workshop highlighting the benefits of gardening and eating local produce. The event at 600 East 800 South will also include tips on how to start a community garden.
• July 2 — 12-5 p.m. — Buy Local First will host a raffle at the Park City Farmers Market at the Canyons Resort.
• July 2— 7 p.m. — Learn how to live locally in your daily life at Baxter’s Café on 1700 South and State Street. An educational panel will answer questions and highlight businesses that can help you take the live local challenge.