We all have a choice about where we spend our hard-earned cash but how often do we stop to think about the effect of our purchasing decisions on our own local economy right here in Brixham?
We are blessed with a wealth of shops that are independently owned, employ local people and stock a wide range of local, fair-trade and branded products. All play a really powerful part in maintaining and growing our local economy.
A thriving local economy is a good thing for all of us. It means more businesses succeed and leads to fewer empty shops which in turn attracts new business and investment that creates more jobs and increased competition which make people better off so that they have more money to spend locally and greater choice of where to spend it which makes our town a nicer place to live and so it goes on. If we choose to go to an out-of-town retail park or to buy online when there is a local supplier in our town we break that cycle.
The decisions we make can help our town to thrive. Where we choose to spend our money counts.
And finally, here’s a great example of shopping locally from our very own Cap’n Bob Curtis in a recent edition of Brixham News:
“There’s a lesson to be learnt regarding shopping locally. After clearing the small conservatory at the rear of our house, my lady decided it deserved a new carpet. So, following our normal Monday morning coffee in Paignton, we looked around a carpet store and gave the sales chappie the overall measurements.
He insisted on coming to measure for himself and duly arrived during heavy rain storm. The rain beating on the glass roof appeared to frighten him somewhat…but not as much as the fright we got when he’d worked out a price…which was about three times more than our budget.
My lady politely showed him the front door.
Next day, in Brixham, we happened to be passing Ron Campion’s long-established furniture store in Bolton Street, and had a quick look at what there was to offer.
After selecting a piece of carpet, we arranged a time for their fitter to come and the deal was done…..for a quarter of the price of the Paignton store.
On the day, the young fitter and his mate were in and out within the hour, job done and everyone smiling. Lesson number one….try shopping at home first”.