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Monday, July 8, 2013
LAWRENCE
The University Daily Kansan
National campaign encourages shopping locally
ERIN BREMER/KANSAN
Customers at Jefferson's, located at 743 Massachusetts St., enjoy their meal outside during the weekend. The 3/50 Project is a national campaign that promotes eating and shopping locally. The Downtown Lawrence Inc. is part of this growing campaign.
JOSE-LUIS MILETICH editor@kansan.com
More than half of every $100 spent in Lawrence's locally owned independent businesses each month is channeled back into the local economy, according to a nationwide campaign for economic development.
The 3/50 Project, a campaign that advocates for strengthening of local economies, states that $68 of every $100 invested in local businesses gets cycled back to the community in the form of taxes, payroll and other spending. The project's mission is to engage the public in supporting small local businesses that generate necessary funding for the community's public resources and services. The University's Small
Business Development Center director Will Katz supports the project's mission.
"It's a great program. It certainly promotes awareness of small local businesses, especially in small communities," Katz said.
The 3/50 Project challenges consumers to spend $50 or more per month in three independently owned local businesses of their choosing. According to the project's website, if half of the employed workforce in the United States abided to the tenants of the 3/50 challenge, communities could generate more than $42 billion annually.
Pendleton's Country Market is a locally owned independent farm-to-table Lawrence business that is part of the campaign. Karen Pendleton encourages other Lawrence businesses to enroll in the campaign.
"Anytime you can get onto a list showing that you're supporting the
local community and local businesses, it's good." Pendleton said. "It's very worth being a part of"
Consumers are increasingly conscientious of their shopping habits and think it's important for businesses to advertise and support campaigns like the 3/50 Project.
Katie Farmer, a Lawrence native, said pursuing a degree in social work at the University motivates her to shop locally.
"I like to know the business that my purchases are supporting, it may be a more ethical motivation." Farmer said. "I don't want to support bad businesses, and I want to keep more money in our community."
While the online shopping can be convenient, those purchases bring no money back into the community. In May, a bill was introduced in
WILL KATZ
Small Business Development Center director
"It certainly promotes awareness of small, local businesses, especially in small communities."
Congress that would eliminate tax-free online shopping. Currently, online shops and retailers are not required by law to charge
shoppers taxes for their purchases. According to this bill, shoppers would incur state and any local or county taxes on their Internet and mail-order purchases.
Katz does not think tax-free online shopping will last.
"While that may seem like a big benefit right now, in the future that's not going to be much of a benefit for consumers," Katz said. "Likely sometime soon, consumers will be paying sales tax on Internet purchases."
For more information, visit the350project.net.
Edited by Allison Kohn