12.12.2008

Top 10 Reasons to Buy from Local Independent Shops and Artisans


When you buy from an independent artisan such as myself, you can feel good because:

1.You are directly contributing to my income which helps put food on my table, pay my rent, keeps my house heated, etc.

2.You are directly supporting the continuation of my creative endeavor. If you make a purchase, I can continue to create.

3.You are contributing to the community because if each artist/artisan is able to continue making art and selling it, cool venues like artMarket are able to continue. You support us, we support them and the community is better for it. Additionally, the small independent business owners support other local businesses, who support others…..and the cycle continues.

4.You are supporting fair wages. Let’s face it, most items you purchase in big box chains are not made in countries that pay fair wages. That’s one reason why such items are so inexpensive at Wal-Mart.

5.You are ensuring craftsmanship and quality. It matters to small businesses and artisans that you are happy and your products last. If you ever have a problem (and really, you probably won't), you know right where to find them to help you. Also, if you need an extra special gift, you can ask them to make a custom piece.

6.You are ensuring great customer service. Local small businesses depend on your patronage to stay in business. It matters that you are happy and we will go out of our way to make you happy.

7.You will find a great variety of different products not found anywhere else. Not only that, you will find many affordable one-of-a-kind pieces.

8.When you buy a handmade item from a local artisan, you have a unique opportunity to make a personal connection with the person who made the item. The artisan has put his or her time, heart, ingenuity, creativeness and love into the item.

9.You can make some lasting connections and friendships from buying from independent, small businesses or artisans. More than just a connection because of a purchase, you can really get to know the person behind the counter as well.

10.There are plenty of other reasons not to shop at big box stores. If you want to read about one, I wrote about it here a while back.
I hope that you will check out all of the local artists at artMarket! If you're not in Lancaster, PA, you can check out your local shops or shop on Etsy to get one-of-a-kind handmade products. Each shop on Etsy is ran and maintained by individual owners who personally handmake the items in the shop. (There are also sellers of vintage items and supplies.) My personal etsy shop is BBBellezza.
Feel free to comment about more benefits!

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