Oakland Grown Blog
News, muse, and more on the localization movement - your window into how we can all change the world.
Read the Oakland Grown Blog >
Read the Oakland Grown Blog >
WHAT is independent & locally owned?
Locally-owned, independent businesses have roots here in our community - they are our mom and pop shops, our artists, and artisans. We shop at their stores, and they shop at ours. They stock their shelves with the products that only we Oaklanders would want to buy, keeping our town unique. They buy more products and use more local services, keeping our hard-earned dollars circulating here at home. They create more jobs, helping us learn trades and explore better career opportunities. They raise families in the towns where they set up shop. They are first to donate to a cause that's close to our hearts, and they are the last to give up on us when we need a helping hand. They are driven by a passion for what they do, and care about the quality of the products we purchase and consume. They realize that our individual success is directly tied to theirs. They are our family, friends, and neighbors.
Inspired by similar efforts around the country, Oakland Grown is a group of local business owners, artists, and engaged citizens committed to strengthening Oakland's local economy, social well being, and unique sense of place. Our vision includes the creation of a permanent local network that:
What is Oakland Grown?
Inspired by similar efforts around the country, Oakland Grown is a group of local business owners, artists, and engaged citizens committed to strengthening Oakland's local economy, social well being, and unique sense of place. Our vision includes the creation of a permanent local network that:
- Supports the growth and development of locally owned and independently operated businesses and local artists in Oakland
- Encourages local purchasing by residents, businesses, and artists
- Creates opportunities for business owners and artists to network and share best practices
- Advocates for public policies that strengthen independent local businesses and artists, and helps level the economic playing field
WHY should I support this movement?
Watch this video, created by our friends from Buy Local Berkeley to learn more about the movement:
Being a conscious consumer can have a dramatic impact on our world! With every dollar we spend, we are making choices that shape our community and impact our environment. Studies have proven that shifting your spending to local, independent businesses from chain stores has a significant positive impact on the local economy.
- Keep Money In Oakland!
Significantly more money re-circulates locally when purchases are made with businesses that are local & independently owned. This "multiplier" is due in part to locally owned businesses purchasing more often from other local businesses, service providers, and food producers. Purchasing helps grow other businesses as well as strengthen the local tax base.
- Create More Jobs!
Small local businesses are collectively the largest employer nationally and therefore provide the most jobs to residents in communities.
- Keep Oakland Cool and Hip!
Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of Oakland.
- Reduce Our Environmental Impact
Local & independently owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation, less packaging and products that you know are safe and well made because our neighbors stand behind them.
- Invest In Our Community
Studies reveal non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller local and independently owned business owners than they do from larger businesses. Local businesses owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community's future.
- Get Better Service
Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.
- Put Your Taxes To Good Use
Shopping in Oakland's existing independent business districts means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money available to beautify Oakland.
- It Creates More Choice
A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. Small businesses, selecting products based on the needs of their local customers in their own individual markets, guarantee a much broader range of product choices.
- Encourage Oakland's Prosperity
Entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character. - It Makes Oakland a Destination
Oaklanders are constantly trying to improve our beautiful city's image. The more interesting and unique we are as a community, the more we attract tourists, shoppers, and others who want to visit Oakland. "When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace." (Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust)
