Capital Area Local First is a collaborative effort between local, independent business owners, nonprofit organizations and individuals in the Capital Area to support local ownership, a sense of community, and financial, environmental, and social well-being, to educate our community about the multiple benefits of locally owned independent businesses, and to nurture relationships among locally owned businesses.

When you purchase at locally owned businesses rather than nationally owned, more money is kept in the community because locally owned businesses often purchase from other local businesses, service providers and farms. Purchasing local helps grow other businesses as well as the regional tax base.

Supporting unique local businesses helps build the community’s character, and small local businesses provide the most local jobs. Local businesses often hire people with more specific product expertise and they invest in their employees for better customer service. A growing body of research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their distinctive character.