Shoppers supporting retailers such as Linn & Owen Jewelers benefit community
LANSING, Mich. — Flanked by a cake shaped like the Buy Nearby Guy mascot as well as one-of-a-kind jewelry designed at Linn & Owen Jewelers, James P. Hallan of the Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) today reminded shoppers that buying from retailers in their local communities means a chance to support new start-ups as well as retailers that have been a fixture for generations.
Linn & Owen Jewelers owner Stewart Powell hosted Hallan at his independent and locally owned jewelry store that has been in the heart of downtown Lansing since 1917. Hallan was joined by Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau President Jack Schripsema, Whipped Bakery owner Randy Umfleet and Downtown Lansing Inc. Executive Director Mindy Biladeau, the Buy Nearby Guy mascot and other downtown retailers.
“Here in Lansing, boutique retailers such as Linn & Owen Jewelers, entrepreneurial startups such as For Crepe Sake and longtime retailers such as Whipped Bakery and Smith Floral are offering customers unique goods and services every day,” said Hallan, MRA president and CEO. “Michigan communities benefit from having retailers that, in many cases, offer or use Michigan products. When shoppers buy from local businesses, it has a monumental impact on our state and communities.”
He said the state economy would grow by more than $9 billion and nearly 75,000 new jobs would be created throughout the economy if Michigan residents made sure to buy from retailers in Michigan, rather than from out-of-state sellers that don’t invest in the state. In the Lansing-East Lansing area, retail trade has grown by more than 400 jobs in the past year, according to Michigan’s Labor Market News. More than 866,000 jobs statewide are directly dependent on retail sales.
To encourage shoppers to visit nearby retailers and help Michigan’s growth continue, MRA has launched the Buy Nearby campaign, an ongoing, year-round, feel-good campaign intended to create excitement about the great shopping in Michigan and the advantages of supporting retailers and communities in Michigan.
The campaign’s biggest promotion occurs this year on Oct. 1-2, when retailers across the state will be offering shoppers special deals and promotions during I Buy Nearby Weekend. The expanded two-day special shopping weekend will include a drawing for a $500 gift card for one lucky shopper who posts a photo of buying nearby with the hashtag #ibuynearby.
Linn & Owen has been a mainstay of downtown Lansing for decades, and owner Powell and his staff do a brisk business offering rings, pendants, bracelets and brooches – many designed on the premises – as well as premier watches and clocks, and repair services.
“We’re happy to help you design a ring for your 10th anniversary, find just the right watch or repair that heirloom necklace that’s been in your family for generations,” said Powell, who often carries clocks to customers’ cars for them as part of his hands-on service. “We like to support other retailers in downtown Lansing, and to let shoppers know how much good they do for Lansing and their community when they buy nearby.”
Also joining in the news conference was Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero. The mayor said Lansing’s expanding entertainment and shopping options give Michigan shoppers a great reason to buy nearby, and noted that more retailers are opening in Lansing as new residents and workers move in.
“Area retailers offer customers a personalized, hands-on experience that out-of-state online retailers just can’t match,” Bernero said. “Our businesses rely on dedicated customers who realize the value they offer and buy nearby because of it, and our community prospers when shoppers support the retailers who are part of it.”
Randy Umfleet, owner of Whipped Bakery, created a special cake in the shape of Buy Nearby Guy, the campaign mascot that’s an 8-foot-tall representation of a shopping bag in the shape of Michigan, colored blue to mirror Michigan’s lakes and skies. Smith Floral and For Crepe Sake, two other downtown Lansing businesses, provided blue-and-white flowers and crepes for the news conference.
“We love to create special desserts baked from scratch for our customers,” Umfleet said. “About half of every dollar spent in a Michigan store goes back into the local and Michigan economies, so buying nearby helps all of us.”
Schripsema of the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau said buying nearby keeps communities vibrant.
“Our area retailers – large and small – offer visitors fun and interesting experiences, whether that’s attending a jazz or symphony concert this weekend, renting a kayak and paddling down the Grand River, visiting our historic Capitol building or shopping at the many businesses in the Greater Lansing area,” Schripsema said.
Biladeau of Downtown Lansing Inc. said the growing number of retailers in downtown and elsewhere in the city is making Lansing an even more attractive place to live and work.
“Customers who Buy Nearby provide the encouragement needed to draw even more retail stores to the city,” she said. “Buying nearby is a fantastic way to help boost the city’s economy and create more jobs while enjoying great shopping.”
Michigan Department of Treasury figures show that retail trade accounted for $93.7 billion in economic activity in Michigan in fiscal year 2014, the most recent year available, not counting food and prescription drug purchases. That’s a fifth of the state’s gross domestic product, and a message that Buy Nearby Guy will be promoting in many communities leading up to I Buy Nearby Weekend on Oct. 1-2.
Additional information is available at BuyNearbyMI.com and Facebook.com/BuyNearbyMI.
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The Michigan Retailers Association is the unified voice of Michigan’s retail industry, representing more than 5,000 member businesses and their 15,000 stores and websites. Retail is responsible for more than 850,000 jobs in Michigan.
