I’ve been unusually interested in New Year’s resolutions these past few weeks, since they can be used to not only better oneself but also the entire community. In this spirit, I’d like to encourage Dartmouth students to support small businesses in Hanover. They are vital to both local economies and the U.S. economy as a whole and need increased support from consumers to compete with large corporations.
From the perspective of employment, small businesses are crucial to the character of the U.S. economy. According to Forbes, small businesses account for 60 to 80 percent of American jobs. Additionally, the jobs that small businesses provide are usually more secure than those provided by large corporations. Rather than answering to a faceless corporation, a small business employee works directly with the business owner. Thanks to close employer-employee relations, small businesses foster better work environments. It is difficult to imagine a small business’ employees being treated, say, like Walmart employees, who took to the streets nationwide this September to protest inadequate wages and working conditions.
A small business’ impact on its community is easy to see at the local level. Because local businesses directly re-invest their profits at the town or county level, money spent at these places goes directly back into the community that it was spent in. To put it more concretely, purchasing a coffee at Dirt Cowboy instead of Starbucks puts money into the hands of local citizens and finances public programs and services made possible by the taxes that Dirt Cowboy pays. To students here, the Upper Valley functions as a second home. By supporting local businesses, we can contribute to the area’s improvement.
At the very least, students’ support of local establishments can help keep Hanover from falling victim to the fate of other American towns that have exchanged character for corporations. With an increasing number of chain stores entering or attempting to enter Hanover, the “college town” vibe that defines Hanover, and by extension Dartmouth, is at stake. Nationally, the proliferation of chain stores has transformed small towns for the worse by bankrupting local businesses. My family saw this happen in the town of Williamsburg, Va., the home of the College of William and Mary. Once a colonial college town, Williamsburg is now a college town in the center of spreading suburban sprawl. While I doubt this drastic change will happen to Hanover anytime soon, students should feel responsible for the town’s future.
In addition to keeping Main Street unique, Hanover’s small businesses expand the range of goods and services offered in town. Whereas Barnes and Noble’s corporate leaders dictate what each franchise sells, local bookstores have greater autonomy, resulting in dynamic selections. Supporting local stores prevents the increasing conformity that results when corporations gain more power to dictate what products should be available. The diversification of products also provides the consumer the ability to purchase items that support his or her varying philosophy. For instance, small businesses are often more conscious of sustainability issues, and small bookstores have a larger selection of books printed by small presses. Even the small act of eating locally grown heritage foods has the major effect of preserving U.S. agriculture’s genetic diversity.
Despite the benefits of spending one’s money at small and local businesses, I will acknowledge that this practice is many times more expensive than ordering everything on Amazon. But keeping more dollars within the local community is worth it. It encourages more mindful purchasing, promotes fairer working conditions and improves local government services. Consider those dollars in your pocket a potential donation to the local community. So this year, let’s resolve to support small businesses in the Hanover area.
