WHAT IS GO LOCAL?

Welcome to a whole new way to support your favorite local businesses AND save money at the same time. It’s the Go Local Card. Every time you present your Go Local Card at a participating location, you will:

  • Get sweet deals created just for Go Local cardholders
  • Support your local economy
  • Have an extra excuse to hit up your favorite store, restaurant, or hot spot
  • Learn which businesses are local that you may not have been aware of
  • Take a small step in helping the environment by replacing hundreds of paper coupons with one card

Best of all, the Go Local card always offers you immediate gratification, and can be used as often as your heart desires for approximately 12 months from the moment of purchase. No need to accrue points. No one-time-only restrictions.

And even better, it’s only ten bucks.

The benefits of shopping locally are irrefutable: it keeps our money in the local economy helping independent businesses compete against big national chains. It lessens our impact on the Earth’s environment, and it nurtures that curious and beautiful thing that makes our community so…OURS.

These are the things we’re passionate about and they are what inspired the Go Local concept.

Our mission is very simple: to simultaneously champion the businesses that make our community unique and reward the people that support them.

Go Local. Good for your community. Good for you.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How are you different from other organizations and programs that support the Local Movement?

We are heartened to note that there are hundreds of cities and organizations that promote shopping locally. Few, if any, involve the use of a card such as the Go Local Card. These are the benefits we see:

  • We believe the Card accelerates the shift from non-local to local spending by offering tangible rewards to the public.
  • For the businesses, it is a way to gauge the success of the Go Local mission.
  • In addition, it often becomes a sum zero cost to businesses through resale of cards.
  • Finally, the cross-marketing aspect of all businesses promoting themselves and other Card partners at the same time benefits all.

2. Where can I buy the card?

The majority of the businesses sell the cards,  In addition cards are available at our table at several farmers markets and online.

  • the Sustainable Food Center sponsors 2 markets: Republic Square on Saturday mornings 9-1pm and the days evenings 4-8pm. sustainablefoodmarket.org
  • The H.O.P.E. Market (Helping Other People Everywhere) is on the east side at 5th & Waller on Sundays 11-3pm. hopefarmersmarket.org

3. Does my Go Local Card ever expire?

Yes – they are good for approximately one year from the date of purchase, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. Please check the expiration printed on the card at the time of purchase.

4. Are all the offers the same and do they ever change?

The individual businesses determine their own rewards and are permitted 3 changes during the year.

5. Can I recommend a business to you which is not part of Go Local?

Yes, please do. Email us at infogolocal@gmail.com and we’ll invite them to join!

6. Are the Go Local Cards available for Fundraising?

Yes – the Card is an ideal vehicle for fundraising. When a church, school or other non-profit uses the card for fundraising, it not only promotes the local community and is good for the environment, but also offers many more places to save, compared to other fundraising cards. For more information, go to our fundraising page.


TEN REASONS TO SHOP LOCAL

1. Be Some Place, Not Any Place

Austin is unique and without its local businesses, it would cease to be the Austin loved by Austinites. By choosing to support locally owned businesses, you help maintain Austin's diversity and distinctive flavor. Big Box and chain stores are the same everywhere – let's keep Austin “Austin” for those who live here and those still on their way here.

2. Feel Right in Your Neighborhood

Local businesses build strong neighborhoods in a grass roots fashion -by sustaining communities, linking neighbors, contributing more to local causes, hiring local residents for most if not all of its positions, and buying from other local sources and services.

3. Our Town when it comes to Local Decision Making

Local ownership means that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community, who feel the impacts of those decisions and who are ready to step up as community leaders.

4. What's Spent Locally Stays Local

Your dollars spent in locally-owned businesses have three times the impact on your community as dollars spent at national chains. When shopping locally, you simultaneously create jobs, fund more city services through sales tax, invest in neighborhood improvement and promote community development.

5. Jobs and Wages

Locally owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than chains do with greater job security.

6. Entrepreneurship Happens on Main Street

Entrepreneurs fuel America's economic innovation and prosperity. Entrepreneurship serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage paying jobs and into the middle class.

7. Shopping Locally Saves Local Tax Dollars

Local stores in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services relative to big box stores and strip shopping malls.

8. Sustainability Makes you Happy

Localism reduces sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss and water pollution. Independently owned businesses more often source local products such as farm produce and local services such as legal, accounting, advertising.

9. Competition Makes Cents

A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.

10. Make Mine Local for Product Diversity

A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.

Thank you for keeping it local!

Adapted and Reprinted from The Institute for Local Self-Reliance www.ilsr.org