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Letter: Thanks for local coverage

Posted on December 25, 2009 by Staff

Thank you for your coverage of the local economy efforts under way in Carrboro (“Making Local Work for You,” 12/17/09). Margot Lester’s vision of “concentric circles emanating from the Paris of the Piedmont” brought to mind author Michael Shuman’s “purchasing ladder.” (Shuman has served as an economic development consultant to the town and his book, Small Mart Revolution, was used to kick-off discussions on the town’s Local Living Economy Taskforce.)

For Shuman, the first option is to buy less, “a self-reliant community ultimately must be grounded in more self-reliant individuals, families, and institutions.” When you shop, he advises, try to buy local, seeking the best combination of “a locally owned store, selling locally made goods, and using locally found inputs.” During our recent Buy Carrboro Week, locally owned Nested had a week-long promotion of locally made products.

As Lester points out, there’s a whole lot you won’t find in that category of strictly local. Shuman next recommends buying regional. Like local, the regional is “a vague term. It usually refers to an area defined more by ecology, geography, and culture than by legal and jurisdictional boundaries. The [economic] multiplier from buying regionally will be lower than if you had bought locally, but it will not be irrelevant.” The N.C. Crafts Gallery combines local ownership with regional/state products, carrying the work of more than 500 North Carolinians.

When buying from outside the region, Shuman advocates buying Fair Trade. The Fair Trade movement prioritizes environmental and social standards while helping workers and smallscale producers move toward self-sufficiency. Many Fair Trade products are available at Weaver Street Market including an extensive selection from Equal Exchange, the oldest and largest Fair Trade company in the country. Scott Conary of Open Eye Cafe is very active in supporting Fair Trade coffee growers in Central America.

And that leaves everything else. But before you rush off to Durham for cheap goods, refer back to Margot Lester’s article “Underwear Uncovered in Carrboro” (Citizen, 12/19/2008). There’s more available in Carrboro than you might suspect. And, the big box chains might not be such a bargain after all. As well as Shuman’s book, check out Stacy Mitchell’s Big Box Swindle and Greg Spotts’ Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (or Robert Greenwald’s film version).

Dan Coleman
Carrboro

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