Let’s hear it for community businesses…

***La Jolie MLN Grand Opening - Elmhurst, IL - November 5, 2021***

What makes a suburban town appealing? For many, it’s about the proximity of boutiques, local dry cleaners, an upscale grocery store, shoe shop, bank or family-owned restaurant. It’s where teenagers get their first summer jobs. Where people make lasting relationships with owners. In many ways, these businesses are the lifeblood of the towns we live in.

Here’s something you may not know. For every $100 spent at a local business, $68 will actually stay in the community. In fact, small businesses not only contribute to the tax base, but provide job opportunities to people who may not be employable by large corporations.

Most independent businesses are run by individuals—not by boards, stockholders or algorithms. And so, you get a different level of care and quality in their products and services.

By supporting a small business, you're also supporting the local community. Spending your money there helps to stimulate the tax base and keep business booming within your region. That translates to infrastructure support: money for roads, bridges, schools and more.

Here are just some of the reasons why community businesses are so vital:

Independent retailers and other local service businesses return more than 3 times as much per dollar of sales to their own communities than do big box stores.
Local businesses are owned and operated by your friends and neighbors, so by supporting them, you are contributing to the sustainability of your community.
With the Internet, a local business or start-up can leverage e-commerce and social media to reach a global audience and still have the benefit of working within their own community. This has been a boon to entrepreneurs, particularly during the pandemic.

Every purchasing decision you make affects the economy in some way. Because local businesses tend to use other local vendors for their needs, the money spent doesn’t just support one local business, but all the others who provide them with supplies and services.

La Jolie MLN is a great example of this.

Daisy Malek-Shadid with daughters - Grand Opening

We launched our fashion and social outreach business online and then opened our retail location in Elmhurst, Illinois where I live with my family. For our Grand Opening celebration, we purchased all our supplies from local businesses, such as:

Local liquor stores
Local bakery
Local grocery store
Local musicians
Local employees

The advantages are clear. In addition to the economic benefits they provide, local businesses contribute to the character of a community. No town or neighborhood is defined by how many chain restaurants or big box stores it has. But communities become desirable places to live and visit when they have interesting, unique eateries, cafes, and boutiques.

One last insight. Women are some of the biggest supporters of community businesses, and La Jolie MLN is proud to be part of that tradition.