The Highlands Business Community needs your help. The following are some good thoughts to be mindful of before you go shopping for a gift or out to dinner:

Protect Local Character and Prosperity By choosing to support local businesses, you help maintain diversity and distinctive character. Community Well-Being Locally owned businesses build strong neighborhoods by sustaining communities, linking neighbors, and by contributing more to the local causes. Local Decision Making Local ownership means that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions. Keeping Dollars in the Local Economy Your dollars spent in our local businesses have three times the impact on your community as dollars spent at national chains.  When shopping local, you simultaneously create jobs, invest in neighborhood improvements and promote community development. Job and Wages Highlands Businesses create more jobs locally because at least 75% employ local residents.

Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship fuels our economic innovation and prosperity. Public Benefits and Costs Local stores require little infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services relative to big box stores or strip malls. Environmental Sustainability Local stores can help to sustain vibrant, walkable downtowns that in turn are essential to reducing, crime, automobile use, and air and water pollution. Competition A cluster of small town businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. Product Diversity A multitude of small businesses or restaurants each selecting products based on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of choices.