Why Shop Small Saturday 11/30?

Saturday 11/30/13 is being promoted as "Shop Small Saturday" - but why should you shop small? Does it really make a difference when you support your local mom & pop stores? 

It's a simple fact: for every $100 spent, locally owned independent businesses generate $68 in local economic activity. National chains generate only $43. And out-of-state online sellers who don't collect sales tax are virtually a total drain on the local economy.

So YES, when you spend your hard-earned money here in San Rafael, it does make a difference: your money stays here, supporting locally owned businesses, city neighborhoods and services, and enhancing the quality of life in your own back yard.

Your many small businesses in and around San Rafael will appreciate your efforts for shopping locally, hopefully not just on Shop Small Saturday. In return, you and your community will benefit too!

Here are 10 reasons why shopping small makes a difference:

2. Most new jobs are provided by local businesses: Small local businesses are the largest  employer nationally, and provide the most new jobs in our community to residents.

3. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of our distinctive character: Unique businesses give personality to San Rafael. Our tourism businesses also benefit. “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust

4. Local business owners invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future. 

5. Customer service is better: Local businesses often hire people with more specific product expertise for better customer service.

6. Competition and diversity leads to more choices: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices. 

7. Reduced environmental impact: Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.

8. Public benefits far outweigh public costs: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community. 

9. Encourages investment in the community: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

10. Non-profits receive greater support: Non-profit organizations receive an average 350% greater support from local business owners than they do from non-locally owned businesses. 

From San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Association (SFLOMA)

As we celebrate this season of gratitude, we share a heartfelt THANK YOU for supporting our stores, and other small businesses, on Shop Small Day 11/30 and throughout the year!  

Submitted by Michelle and Jeff Leopold, Owners

            Marin Ace, San Rafael

            Standard 5&10 Ace, San Francisco

Founding members, SFLOMA

Proud members, San Rafael Chamber of Commerce

Michelle and Jeff Leopold, the "Mom & Pop" behind Marin Ace, are Marin Residents who knew first-hand that there was a hardware desert in Northern San Rafael. They knew that the community needed a helpful hardware store, and since opening in December 2011, Marin Ace reinvests in the community, with their sponsorship of many local teams including the San Rafael Pacifics, San Rafael Girls' Softball, San Rafael Little League, and the Orcas Swim Team. Plus, Marin Ace is a top fundraiser contributor, donating over 150 gift certificates in 2013. Additionally, the Marin Ace Popcorn Machine continues to pop at non-profit fun-raisers in and around San Rafael since the store opened nearly two years ago.

Marin Ace offers hardware, housewares, paint, a garden center, and "sizzling service" at the location of the former Terra Linda Sizzler restaurant, 180 Merrydale Road. Store hours are M-F 7-7, S-S 8-6. Call 415/479-9393 or visit them online at www.MarinAce.com.