by Natalie Walsh
Buying a new car? Need legal advice? Can’t wait to get the latest pair of Tommy jeans? Take a moment to think about how your purchase decision will affect Miramichi if you shop local or travel abroad. For
the purpose of this story I will relate to Louie the Loonie.
Fresh from the mint, Louie the Loonie swiftly made his way to Miramichi, where he thought he would touch the lives of many. His first stop was at a local bank, where a proud grandfather picked him up and dropped him off at his grandson’s house for a birthday party.
The grandson, so excited to receive shiny new Louie, quickly brought him to the local convenience store where he traded him for some candy. The next day, Louie became part of a young man’s pay for the week, and was on his way to the local drive-thru for a cup of coffee.
The coffee shop was doing so well, they decided to hire more people and used Louie to help pay for the job advertisement in a community magazine. The editor of the magazine, feeling pretty happy about life, then took Louie to a local jeweller to buy her boyfriend a new gold watch.
The jeweller, noticing sales were up, felt confident to invest in a new travel trailer. When Louie met the salesman he was feeling pretty beat, but was so glad to still be on the Miramichi.
Sadly enough, one day Louie found himself in a strange place. He was no longer in Miramichi and had no idea how he might find his way back. He had heard about this type of thing happening to many of his relatives but never imagined it would happen to him.
continued to create employment, attract new business, retain existing business and improve the quality of life in Miramichi for a long, long time but now poor Louie would have to work on another city’s economy.
As you can see, from Louie’s adventure, every dollar spent in Miramichi creates what is known as a multiplier effect. The more we shop local, the more everyone in the community benefits.
