Shop Local - Stay Local

Shop Local - Stay Local. It's more than the latest internet buzzwords. It could mean the difference between survival or death for local businesses.

Let's face it: It's usually not too difficult to find a parking spot on Main Street in small-town Kansas, including Stafford.

Stafford's Main Street looks different than it did in this photo from 1955 (found in Stafford's Centennial book, Crossroads of Time: 1885-1985).

By contrast, back in the early- to mid-20th century, Main Streets provided the hub of social and business activity on Saturday nights as farm families loaded up the car and came to town.

During the past three months, the City of Stafford and the Stafford Chamber of Commerce asked people to Shop Local - Stay Local. People could keep receipts and a tally of monies spent at local businesses. Then, there was a drawing for prizes - for everything from gift certificates at local businesses to a credit for electricity to a summer pass for the new swimming pool. (I won one of those passes. I am going to see if I can gift it to a Stafford youngster who might enjoy using it!)

On the little leaflet in which we collected our local receipts, it said this:

If 100 families within Stafford spent an additional $75 locally per month, that would inject more than $90,000 annually into the local economy. Shop Local - Stay Local

We are doing our part - especially at the grocery store, farmers' co-op, lumber yard and auto parts store.

The world is different today. We're more prone to "like" something one of our "friends" said on Facebook than to make plans to meet them for a treat at the soda fountain or share a tub of popcorn at a Saturday movie. For many, the big box store in the town 30 or 40 miles away is the place to stock up on paper goods or groceries. A click of a button on a website means that a store will deliver your every want and need to your own front door.

We say we want to shop local. But do we choose to do it enough?

Before Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, I saw an editorial in The Salina Journal. Here's part of that column:

We'll be spending money. A lot of money. According to the National Retail Federation, we’ll shell out $717.45 billion to $720.89 billion total this holiday season. According to the federation, each shopper will spend about $1,007.24 apiece.Make sure, though, when you plan out that spending, that you think about what companies benefit. Will you be funneling your dollars to Amazon or a big box retailer? Or will you be supporting local businesses?

That decision makes a difference. ... It makes a difference to the city and state economy, which benefit directly from you keeping your dollars in the community. It makes a difference to businesses, many of which work mightily to survive in a shifting retail marketplace. 

Think about it this way: Big online retails extract capital from cities. With few exceptions, we don't see that money again. Local retailers put that money straight back into the local economy.

Brent's first job out of grad school was at Morehead State University in Kentucky. Morehead had a vibrant "shop local" initiative. At one of their local eateries, tucked alongside the menu, there was a page thanking people for shopping there. It detailed 10 ways that the decision to patronize at a locally-owned business made a difference. Here are just a few:

1. You kept dollars in our economy. For every $100 you spend at one of our local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. What happens when you spend that same $100 at a national chain? Only $43 stays in the community.

2. You embraced what makes us unique. You wouldn't want your house to look like everyone else's in the U.S. So why would you want your community to look that way?

5. You nurtured community. We know you, and you know us. Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains.

10. You made us a destination. The more interesting and unique we are as a community, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors and guests. This benefits everyone. 

Does it really make any difference whether I spend the bulk of my grocery dollars at Wal-Mart or at my local Paul's Grocery?

 

Does it matter if I buy paper goods at Paul's or at Stafford's Simply Overstock store instead of stocking up in Hutchinson? Randy and I think it does. Even something as mundane as toilet paper can make a huge impact on the success or failure of our small-town businesses. (Click on the link for more details.)

Instead of being like Chicken Little and yelling, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling," we need to be part of the solution. I believe the possibilities could be as vast as the big, blue Kansas sky if businesses worked together and small-town citizens made a commitment to buy locally first.

Admittedly, smaller storefronts don't always have every single item you need. I'm not saying that you can never shop in a Wal-Mart or Target again. I shop in those stores, too, and I keep a running Hutchinson shopping list for ingredients and other items I can't buy locally. I just think it's time to look at our small towns for all the pluses instead of concentrating on the negatives.

Admittedly, Main Street Stafford isn't as bustling as it was in the early 1900s or during the oil boom of the 1940s. But there are businesses that have been here for the long haul and some new ones that complement them. (I started to list local businesses and then decided that was a formula for leaving people out. Our little town has restaurants, a bank, a flower and gift shop, farmers cooperative and many other businesses that contribute to a good quality of life for its citizens and neighbors.) We are fortunate to still have Stafford District Hospital and a rest home meeting health care needs in our hometown.

 

We have the Ritz Theatre showing first-run movies each weekend. Several years ago, the city upgraded the sound system to digital.

Our Stafford USD 349 continues to offer quality education to our community's youth, including adding innovative programs like the Stafford Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Center. Students start their own business and become business owners through this program.

Our high school added a Culinary Arts and Management program several years ago, cooperating with local restaurants, Stafford County Flour Mills at Hudson and others in the private sector. Vo-ag students have built a greenhouse on school property and they're even trying to impact world hunger. Technical career education is a focus for our school district. It just goes to show that you don't have to be a big, metropolitan school to offer innovative, hands-on programs.

Sunset, July 15, 2016

Shop Local - Stay Local:  It's a message that should resonate during this holiday season ... and every other day of the year. It has to ... if we want to keep our rural communities from becoming ghost towns.

Thinking 3/50 365 Days a Year

Shop local. It's more than the latest internet buzzwords. It could mean the difference between survival or death for local businesses.

Let's face it: It's usually not too difficult to find a parking spot on Main Street in small-town Kansas. By contrast, back in the early 20th century, Main Streets provided the hub of social and business activity on Saturday nights as farm families loaded up the car and came to town.

The world is different today. We're more prone to "like" something one of our "friends" said on Facebook than to make plans to meet them for a treat at the soda fountain or share a tub of popcorn at a Saturday movie. For many, the big box store in the town 30 or 40 miles away is the place to stock up on paper goods or groceries. A click of a button on a website means that a store will deliver your every want and need to your own front door.

We say we want to shop local. But do we choose to do it enough?

On one of our trips to visit Brent in Morehead, Kentucky, I picked up a bright red flier that said, "Love your local. uniquely morehead (ky) + rowan county"

When I got home, I looked looked up Uniquely Morehead's website. In part, it said:

We LOVE our great town nestled in the hills of East Kentucky, and we need to STOP and think of what we can do to keep it uniquely ours.  From our spending habits to our civic engagement, we need to be intentional about keeping Morehead unique. 

What can you do to help us remain Uniquely Morehead? It’s pretty simple, really. Be a wise consumer – just patronize independent, locally-owned businesses wherever and whenever possible, and encourage others to do the same.

Going out for coffee? Check out our local coffee shop or visit our local bakery to satisfy your sweet tooth. Need a gift for a friend’s birthday? We suggest a trip to one of our great local gifts, novelty shops, or better yet purchase a one-of-a-kind from a local artist. Looking for a good restaurant? Make a little extra effort to try one of our local restaurants or the seasonal farmers markets. There are locally-owned options for just about anything you can find at a chain store, so just take a moment to think before you open your wallet.

We ate at a cute little Main Street restaurant, All Seasons Cafe, in a refurbished old house. Nestled in with the menu selections, there was a page thanking people for shopping there. It detailed 10 ways that the decision to patronize at a locally-owned business made a difference. Here are just a few:

1. You kept dollars in our economy. For every $100 you spend at one of our local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. What happens when you spend that same $100 at a national chain? Only $43 stays in the community.

2. You embraced what makes us unique. You wouldn't want your house to look like everyone else's in the U.S. So why would you want your community to look that way?

5. You nurtured community. We know you, and you know us. Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains.

10. You made us a destination. The more interesting and unique we are as a community, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors and guests. This benefits everyone. 

Does it really make any difference whether I spend the bulk of my grocery dollars at Wal-Mart or at my local Paul's Grocery?

 

Does it matter if I buy paper goods at Paul's or at Stafford Mercantile instead of stocking up in Hutchinson? Randy and I think it does.

As I wrote last year, even something as mundane as toilet paper can make a huge impact on the success or failure of our small-town businesses.

 

I recently read about a Central Kansas county that began a program called Buy Harvey. Businesses in Newton and Harvey County were inspired by Cinda Baxter, founder of the 3/50 Project. During a presentation in Newton, Baxter asked small business owners what would happen if people picked three locally-owned businesses each month and spent $50 at those businesses. A group of small local businesses started a grassroots movement called Buy Harvey that urges consumers to shop local and encourages small businesses to work together to promote their services.

We should be thinking 3/50 365 days a year. 

Instead of being like Chicken Little and yelling, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling," these businesses are doing something to help themselves. I believe the possibilities could be as vast as the big, blue Kansas sky if businesses worked together and small-town citizens made a commitment to buy locally first.

Admittedly, smaller storefronts don't always have every single item you need. I'm not saying that you can never shop in a Wal-Mart or Target again. I shop in those stores, too. I just think it's time to look at our small towns for all the pluses instead of concentrating on the negatives.

Admittedly, Main Street Stafford isn't as bustling as it was in the early 1900s or during the oil boom of the 1940s. But there are businesses that have been here for the long haul and some new ones that complement them. (I started to list local businesses and then decided that was a formula for leaving people out. Our little town has restaurants, a coffee shop, a bank, a flower and gift shop, farmers cooperative and many other businesses that contribute to a good quality of life for its citizens and neighbors.) We are fortunate to still have Stafford District Hospital and a rest home meeting health care needs in our hometown.

 Our Stafford USD 349 continues to offer quality education to our community's youth, including adding innovative programs like the Stafford Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Center. Students start their own business and become business owners through this program.

Our high school has added a new Culinary Arts and Management program this year, cooperating with local restaurants, Stafford County Flour Mills at Hudson and others in the private sector. Just this semester, the program began using the new commercial kitchen now housed in the the former Family and Consumer classroom. Vo-ag students have built a greenhouse on school property. It just goes to show that you don't have to be a big, metropolitan school to offer innovative, hands-on programs.

We've had more exciting news on Main Street. For the past several years, the Ritz Theater has been showing movies two weekends a month. The City of Stafford recently made the commitment to upgrade to a digital projector, after learning that the movie industry would not make new movies in the film format any longer. Soon, the Ritz will be able to show first-run movies almost as quickly as the big-town theaters can, which the city hopes will bring additional visitors to Stafford.

Our high school offers a program for students interested in entrepreneurship. It is the Stafford Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Center. Students start their own business and become business owners through this program. - See more at: http://kansasteachingjobs.com/index.php?p=funct.search.job&jobTitle=FACS+Teacher%3A++Emphasis+on+Culinary+Arts+Career+Strand.&jobHash=fe1364e93480524&employerHash=c9ba9750eada3cf#sthash.qsnRuirk.dpuf

Our high school offers a program for students interested in entrepreneurship. It is the Stafford Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Center. Students start their own business and become business owners through this program. - See more at: http://kansasteachingjobs.com/index.php?p=funct.search.job&jobTitle=FACS+Teacher%3A++Emphasis+on+Culinary+Arts+Career+Strand.&jobHash=fe1364e93480524&employerHash=c9ba9750eada3cf#sthash.qsnRuirk.dpufCenter, a greenhouse and the latest in technology.  We have exciting news on Main Street Stafford. For several years, the Ritz Theater has shown movies two weekends a month. The City of Stafford has made the decision to upgrade to a digital projector.

 

For a sesquicentennial cake I made a few years ago, I took photos of Stafford's version of the old Burma Shave roadside signs and included them in my cake display.

Just in case you can't read them: If our road signs ... Catch your eye ... Smile awhile

And stop to buy ... Stafford Main Street ... Gateway to Quivira NWR. 

The survival of small town America depends upon all of us. We should make intentional decisions to shop at local stores and patronize local businesses when we can. We could help bolster other communities by taking day trips and visiting small, rural towns, spending a little money at a local restaurant and shopping in a locally-owned store while there.

We can all be part of the solution. The Kansas Sampler Foundation, based in Inman, has numerous programs to support small town Kansas, including the Kansas Explorers Club.  It's another great resource to see and appreciate what Kansas has to offer.

If you'd like, leave me a comment about your favorite Kansas place or your favorite local business. (If you don't live in Kansas, share something from your area.) Share the positives! 

I'll Take Some History With That Cherry Limeade

Stafford's Main Street looks different than it did in this photo from 1955 (found in Stafford's Centennial book, Crossroads of Time: 1885-1985). The latest census shows what everyone already knows: The population in rural communities, including Stafford, keeps decreasing. But, instead of giving up, Stafford citizens are pulling together and trying to make lemonade out of lemons - or, in this case, beautifully topped ice cream sundaes out of plain old vanilla ice cream.

In Stafford, you can have that sundae or a freshly-squeezed limeade at an historic soda fountain located at the Stafford Mercantile.  

The "Merc," a variety store on Main Street Stafford, has been open since the fall of 2012. Local investors came together to return a business to the vacant storefront after national retailer Duckwall's pulled its stores from most small Kansas communities three years ago. 
 
The Mercantile makes it possible for residents to shop for things like Wrangler jeans or a bridal shower gift without driving 30 minutes to Pratt or Great Bend or 45 minutes to Hutchinson.  

The centerpiece of the Mercantile is a 1928 marble soda fountain. It was originally in Smart Drug in Stafford. 

From the Stafford Centennial Book. You can see the marble soda fountain as it was in Smart Drug on the lefthand side of the photo.

When Randy and I were first married, the soda fountain was still on Stafford's Main Street in Jim's Sundries. Later, Leroy and Ollie Meyer purchased the business and continued to operate the soda fountain at their business they called Elroy's. But when they closed the sundries portion of the store to focus on the Elroy's Pizza side of their business, the soda fountain was sold and was stored in a neighboring town for years. One of the Mercantile's organizers, Clare Moore, tracked down the soda fountain and brought it back home to Stafford.

   

To install it at the Mercantile, they added oak columns from a Stafford Victorian-era home to frame the soda fountain. The back bar was from a prohibition-era speakeasy near Stafford Lake, and booths and marble tables are original to the same drug store as the soda fountain.  All were dug out of different storage places and refurbished.

A year ago, Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, was in Stafford to present a Building Better Communities Award. The award spotlights positive community action in Kansas and shows how creative thinking and teamwork make a positive difference.

 In a speech on the U.S. Senate floor on January 30, 2013, Senator Moran said:

     In small communities across America, the people there, they work hard. They come together to find common-sense solutions. They solve problems. They try to make a difference in the life of their families and their community. They also strive to provide a better future for their kids, so that every child has the opportunity to grow up, pursue the American Dream and reach their goals.

     For rural communities to survive and prosper, citizens have to work together to create their own opportunities for success. … The reality is that those communities that are going to have a bright future are those who decide, on their own, to work together within that community to make certain that’s the case.  An example of a community that rallied together in a way to make good things happen and make the community better for the future is the community of Stafford. ...

     Rural communities across Kansas have been hit hard by the economic downturn over the last few years and many towns have encountered the closing of businesses. Main Street looks a lot less appealing. There's a shortage of health care services. The younger generation is leaving home in search of employment. In light of these challenges, the community leaders of Stafford have taken steps to secure that town’s future.  …

Comments from Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kansas

Speech from the floor of the U.S. Senate

January 30, 2013

See the complete speech

Senator Moran's staff also prepared a video that's been posted to Youtube (That link is at the bottom of this post.) There are three other videos that focus on specific ways Stafford is looking to thrive (click on each of the underlined links to see those videos.) Besides featuring the Stafford Mercantile, another talks about how the community rallied to save the Stafford District Hospital. Another features Stafford USD No. 349's SEED (Stafford Entrepreneurship and Economic Development) Center, a charter school for high school students. It's where students develop a business plan, talk to the banker, make a product or deliver a service and then actually open and operate their own business on Main Street Stafford.

Stafford is proving that when communities look within themselves for growth, they do have the capability to forge a stronger, more positive future.

Stafford County Economic Development Director Carolyn Dunn

Maybe revitalizing a community is like making an old-fashioned cherry limeade. Even in a community "squeezed" by challenges, the future looks a lot more "rosy" when people get "stirred up" and come together. (You can get one of those cherry limeades at the Mercantile's soda fountain by the way. They are even half-priced on Thursdays!) 

Also this week as a President's Week celebration, all merchandise at the Mercantile is 20 percent off (except for consigned items). The Mercantile definitely needs support from its hometown and from visitors to survive. You can be part of the solution by shopping locally. Or, if you're from outside Stafford County, come visit us and spend a little time at the soda fountain. Even though it's historic, it has all the modern conveniences - like free Wi-Fi!. You can also "like" the Stafford Mercantile on Facebook.

***

Note: This continues a series of posts about things to see and do in our community of Stafford. On Tuesday, I featured the Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library and the gorgeous stained glass window, leaded glass and woodwork in the building which has served Stafford for more than 100 years. Wednesday, I focused on the Frank Lloyd Wright influences in our home church, Stafford United Methodist. This post is rewritten from a Kim's County Line post dated February 8, 2013.

Stafford: Making Sundaes from Plain Old Vanilla

From a mile away, you can see our "skyscrapers" in the background.

"Stafford Next 5 Exits."

The sign is accurate, though the tongue of the creative sign maker was planted firmly in cheek. There are five streets from which travelers can choose to turn off U.S. Highway 50 and enter Stafford: Population 1,042.
However, Stafford County mirrors what is happening in rural America. Parts of the rural Great Plains have been losing residents since the Great Depression. Some areas saw a baby boom after World War II. In the 1940s, Stafford experienced a modest population gain during an oil boom.

Main Street looks different than it did in this photo from 1955 (found in Stafford's Centennial book, Crossroads of Time: 1885-1985). The latest census shows what everyone already knows: The population in rural communities, including Stafford, keeps decreasing. But, instead of giving up, Stafford citizens are pulling together and trying to make lemonade out of lemons - or, in this case, beautifully topped ice cream sundaes out of plain old vanilla ice cream.

Tomorrow, Senator Jerry Moran will be in Stafford to present a Building Better Communities Award. The award spotlights positive community action in Kansas and shows how creative thinking and teamwork make a positive difference. Senator Moran will be at the Stafford Mercantile at 9:30 AM, Saturday, February 9, to honor the residents of Stafford for efforts to revitalize the community.

 In a speech on the U.S. Senate floor on January 30, Senator Moran said:

     In small communities across America, the people there, they work hard. They come together to find common-sense solutions. They solve problems. They try to make a difference in the life of their families and their community. They also strive to provide a better future for their kids, so that every child has the opportunity to grow up, pursue the American Dream and reach their goals.

     For rural communities to survive and prosper, citizens have to work together to create their own opportunities for success. … The reality is that those communities that are going to have a bright future are those who decide, on their own, to work together within that community to make certain that’s the case.  An example of a community that rallied together in a way to make good things happen and make the community better for the future is the community of Stafford. ...

     Rural communities across Kansas have been hit hard by the economic downturn over the last few years and many towns have encountered the closing of businesses. Main Street looks a lot less appealing. There's a shortage of health care services. The younger generation is leaving home in search of employment. In light of these challenges, the community leaders of Stafford have taken steps to secure that town’s future.  …

Comments from Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kansas

Speech from the floor of the U.S. Senate

January 30, 2013

See the complete speech

It seems fitting that the senator will be at the Stafford Mercantile to make the presentation. The variety store on Main Street Stafford has been open since last fall. Local investors came together to return a business to the vacant storefront, after national retailer Duckwall's pulled its stores from most small Kansas communities two years ago.

The Mercantile makes it possible for residents to shop for things like Wrangler jeans or a bridal shower gift without driving 30 minutes to Pratt or Great Bend or 45 minutes to Hutchinson. 

The centerpiece of the Mercantile is a 1928 marble soda fountain. It was originally in Smart Drug in Stafford, but was stored in a neighboring town for years. 

From the Stafford Centennial Book. You can see the marble soda fountain as it was in Smart Drug on the lefthand side of the photo.

Those renovating the soda fountain added oak columns from a Stafford Victorian-era home. The back bar was from a prohibition-era speakeasy near Stafford Lake, and booths and marble tables are original to the same drug store as the soda fountain.  All were dug out of different storage places and refurbished.

Senator Moran's staff also prepared a video that's been posted to Youtube (That link is at the bottom of this post.) There are three other videos that focus on specific ways Stafford is looking to thrive (click on each of the underlined links to see those videos.) Besides featuring the Stafford Mercantile, another talks about how the community rallied to save the Stafford District Hospital. Another features Stafford USD No. 349's SEED (Stafford Entrepreneurship and Economic Development) Center, a charter school for high school students. It's where students develop a business plan, talk to the banker, make a product or deliver a service and then actually open and operate their own business on Main Street Stafford.

Stafford is proving that when communities look within themselves for growth, they do have the capability to forge a stronger, more positive future.

Stafford County Economic Development Director Carolyn Dunn

It's about using plain old ingredients - like vanilla ice cream - and making that tasty sundae - complete with cherry on top.

Or maybe revitalizing a community is like making an old-fashioned cherry limeade. Even in a community "squeezed" by challenges, the future looks a lot more "rosy" when people get "stirred up" and come together. (You can get one of those cherry limeades at the Mercantile's soda fountain by the way. They are even half-priced on Thursdays!) 



See this related post. Yes, even toilet paper can make a difference in a small community.