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Published in the Deseret News, 3 November 2005

Campaign urges Utahns to shun chains, buy local

Rocky, other officials join in promoting week event

By Dave Anderton

You won't find Dorothy Werner shopping at a Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Finn Werner, 5, of Clearfield, browses in The King's English bookstore, one of the businesses promoting Buy Local campaign. (Laura Seitz, Deseret Morning News)

Instead, Werner prefers locally owned establishments, like The King's English, a bookstore at 1500 South and 1500 East in Salt Lake City.

While Werner, a Chicago resident, is just visiting Salt Lake City, she wants her money to go to independent dealers.

"There's so much better service," Werner said. "Barnes & Noble has all of the 'pop' stuff, but they don't have anything like the selection of real literature that's here."

Local business owners hope more people will feel that way.

On Wednesday, they joined with government officials to launch "Buy Local First Week," a campaign that will run Nov. 12-20 and is designed to steer shoppers away from big-box retailers and into home-grown businesses.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson even signed a proclamation, making it official.

"People aren't responding enough," Anderson said during a press conference at Spotted Dog Creamery, 2980 S. State. "That's why we just saw Centerville approve another Wal-Mart. That's a terrible decision for their community.

"They had an opportunity with that land to build a walkable, charming community, a place where people really want to live, a high-quality of life. And now what are they going to have? A bunch of suburban-designed homes with garages in front, because they are all automobile dependent, and a Wal-Mart. And that's something we're trying to get away from here in Salt Lake City."

Salt Lake City's first Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in August 2004 near 1300 South and 300 West.

Anderson was joined Wednesday by representatives of Salt Lake County and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s office, each calling on consumers to "buy local."

"You don't find our culture in some of the national chains," said Martin Frey, director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development. "When our local communities prosper, everyone in the state prospers."

Backing up those words was a $20,000 pledge by Salt Lake County's economic development office.

A sign at the Spotted Dog Creamery encourages shoppers to support local stores. More than 300 businesses have signed on as supporters of the Buy Local campaign and are urging customers to avoid the big-box retailers during the week of Nov. 12-20 and shop at locally owned businesses instead. (Laura Seitz, Deseret Morning News)

Dale Carpenter, director of the office, said the money will be used to promote "Buy Local First." Carpenter said roughly 75 percent of Salt Lake County's businesses employ fewer than 20 people, typically locally owned establishments.

Yet the campaign to shun big-box stores is not popular with everyone.

Angela Hansen of Salem is a Wal-Mart employee and is currently on medical leave after having a baby.

"I like their benefits," Hansen said. "I can take up to a year off of work to be home with my baby and still have a job."

Hansen, who earns $8.60 an hour, also said Wal-Mart unexpectedly last Christmas provided gifts, clothes and food for her family.

"Personally, I think they try to help people out," Hansen said. "I think they are a pretty good company. I don't know what I would do without it."

Ryan Horn, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, called Anderson's charges "overblown."

Horn cited one study that showed Wal-Mart customers saved an average of 17 percent to 20 percent on purchases compared to other stores.

"If you spend $500 a month on groceries, you're saving $100 a month," Horn said. "That's a college savings plan for a working family with a kid that didn't have one before. It's extra money you have to spend with local businesses that we're talking about here. To a lot of people, especially a lot of the people that you typically see opposed to Wal-Mart, savings of $40 or $50 a month is not that big of a deal. To a lot of folks it's a big deal."

Horn added that Wal-Mart worked with the city of Centerville to come up with a plan and design for the store that the community would like.

"We have hundreds of thousands of shoppers in Utah that come into our stores, Rocky's opinion notwithstanding," Horn said. "We designed a very unique store for Centerville. Not everybody is always happy about it, but that's for the people in Centerville to decide, quite frankly."

Still, for small-business owners like Betsy Burton, who owns The King's English, money spent on locally owned businesses means more money staying in the community.

"There used to be 11 general locally owned bookstores in Salt Lake County, and now there are two," Burton said. "People have seen the destruction wrought by chains, and they're realizing that their communities are in danger.

"You cast a vote every time you spend a dollar. And every vote you cast helps to shape your community."

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