Want to buy local? Here’s how:
Riffing off’ve the Starbucks store locator, some people on the internet have created the Delocalator, a store locator for non-corporate bookstores, coffee shops, and movie theatres.
It’s pretty handy. I’m going to start using it to explore coffeeshops and bookstores in Waltham, as well as Rochester.
The site uses crowdsourcing to identify locations, so if you know of an independently-owned bookstore around Rochester, for example*, feel free to add it to the database if it isn’t there already. Adding locations is very easy.
When you buy local, you support independent, unique businesses that make up the cultural character of Rochester. Here’s what buylocalday.org has to say on the matter:
Why buy local? Local businesses produce more income, jobs, and tax receipts for local communities than big box stores do; Local businesses are more likely to utilize local ads, banks and other services; Supporting local businesses preserves the economic diversity of our communities and the unique character of our neighborhoods.
Explore the site with me under the fold…
First off, we have the start site. Spare text over a fun picture of coffee cups.
Next, we have the results page for searching for local coffeeshops. The locally-owned ones show up in the main search results column in the middle. The Starbucks are listed off to the right.
Lastly, just showing you how easy it is to add a new bookstore, cafe, or movie theatre to the database:
See how easy that all was? Now you, too, can be both too hip for Starbucks and a consciencious Rochestarian at the same time!
* The site doesn’t list any local bookstores in Rochester. That can’t be right.
Mood Makers and Brownbag come to mind. Local bookstore is a tough market - Amazon’ll kill ya.
When seeking local I often use yelp.com