Check out what Phoenix Magazine has to say about shopping local:

Let’s play a little game. Let’s pretend that you and nine of your friends need supplies for a party – decorations, gifts, cards, food, drinks, napkins, etc. – and you’re each willing to spend $100. You’re headed to the nearest superstore, like Wal-Mart, right? It makes sense – where else can you get everything you need in one stop?

But let’s think about this for a second. According to Local First Arizona, an organization that fights to keep your money circulating in the state, for every $100 spent at a national chain store, $13 remains in Arizona. So after your group of 10 raids Wal-Mart, you’ve just made $130 for the state. Way to go. But for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 remains in Arizona. So if you take that shopping spree to the moms and pops of Phoenix, you’ve just put $450 back into the state and, eventually, into your own pockets.

Doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but considering the $3 billion budget shortfall the state is facing, and if you apply those numbers to bigger expenditures, spending local could very well be our way out of this recession.

At least that’s the hope of Local First Arizona leader Kimber Lanning, who founded the organization in 2003 and turned it into a nonprofit in 2006. In November, Lanning, a local business owner herself (Stinkweeds, Modified Arts), will help launch a statewide campaign called the “10 Percent Shift,” which encourages residents, businesses, governments and nonprofits to shift at least 10 percent of their monthly expenditures from national chains to locally owned businesses. People will be able to log onto an online calculator (which wasn’t available as of press time) that will show them how much they’re personally putting back into the local economy. “That money will go to things like parks and libraries, fire departments, etc.,” Lanning says.

And other coalitions around the country have started similar campaigns as part of a larger Shift Across America movement (www.shiftacrossamerica.blogspot.com). The result? More money spent in Arizona means more money kept in Arizona and fewer jobs lost, Lanning says.

"Our goal is to keep $130 million in our local economy and create 1,600 new jobs and $52 million in additional local wages [within the first year of launching and every year after],” Lanning says. This projection mimics the results of a similar campaign recently completed in western Michigan, where 600,000 residents participated in a 10 percent shift and produced nearly identical results for their local economy (www.civic-economics.com/localworks).

She admits, however, that it’s not easy to sacrifice the conveniences of one-stop chain shopping, especially when it comes to everyday routines like banking and stocking up on daily essentials. So how does one even think about making the shift?

To start, we’re featuring 130 Local First Arizona businesses – a mere sampling of the organization’s 1,600 members, which you can view online at www.localfirstaz.com. There are many other independent businesses in the Valley worthy of profiling who aren’t members of Local First, but this is a great start, especially if you’re clueless on how – or where – to shop local.

And if you think you have to overhaul every spending habit to make a dent, think again. “Even if you shop one in five times at a local store, you’re making a difference,” Lanning says.

Bookmans Entertainment Exchange
8034 N. 19th Ave.,
Phoenix, 602-433-0255,
bookmans.com

Bookmans has built a reputation in Arizona for more than 30 years as the go-to shop for used books, music, movies, video games, magazines, comics, electronics and musical instruments, among other miscellaneous media. Looking for a Vogue from 2001? Need a retro Nintendo 64 gaming system? An obscure piece of vinyl for your collection? School books that don’t cost a fortune? Chances are more than likely you’ll find it at this mega store. Also look for in-store events, such as art exhibits, anime festivals and live music. Additional locations are in Mesa, Flagstaff and Tucson.

Authors: Ashlea Deahl & Keridwen Cornelius

For more information on local Phoenix businesses, check out the November issue of Phoenix Magazine or visit www.phoenixmag.com