Opinionated Blog Post: Due February 22
In order to better assist the local economy, the Amherst Chamber of Commerce has decided to have its annual Buy Local Tabletop Expo at the Hampshire Mall on February 24, 2010 from 5-7pm. The event was held in a local hotel last year.
It’s great that the location changed, because most people staying in this hotel would be out-of-towners, therefore not feeling as much of a desire to support the local economy by purchasing local goods. It seems that this year will be a bigger success, because of location. The Hampshire Mall gets a lot of traffic from locals and university students.
Thirty different businesses will be selling products on the expo, including Amherst Farmers Supply, Atkins Farms Country Market, and Dr. Hauschka Skin Care. I would expect there to be mostly fresh produce and gardening products to be available.
I often see “locally grown” logos on signs at the Dining Commons. I once considered this as one of the many quaint and different aspects of Amherst, compared to my hometown, Boston. I didn’t think much of it at first, but after learning more about smaller towns, I can see how vitally important a local market is to the year-long residents and the economy itself. According to the MassLive article, if you spend $1 locally, 68 cents stays in the community. That’s a pretty good deal!
