CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. —
Cindy Nguyen
The Guardian
Sam MacLean firmly believes in supporting local businesses. So much so she and some fellow UPEI students began their own initiative that boosts local suppliers.
In a small place like P.E.I., in the midst of a pandemic, supporting local means supporting your neighbours and friends, said the president of Enactus UPEI, a not-for-profit local group.
“Buying local helps stimulate our local economy," said MacLean. "It puts money in the pocket of someone who lives around here and keeps small businesses running instead of adding to the millions of dollars to a big corporation’s name.”
MacLean and her team run a project called Bury and Bloom. They upcycle paper waste into plantable greeting cards, using seeds they get from local company Veseys.
But while supporting a locally-owned store is important, it’s hard to rely wholly on local supplies, MacLean said.
“I understand that it is not 100-per-cent local if it's not also supporting local suppliers, but it’s not something as obvious to the consumers when shopping if the business has local supplies or not.”
Melissa James, a professor in the faculty of business at UPEI, says community support is the key for small operators.
“Community support is important as profits stay within the province, versus big box operations or corporate-owned stores where profits leave the province.”
Abigail Fecura, a fourth-year business student at UPEI, says buying local can be challenging in a relatively small province like P.E.I., especially after the tourists leave.
“Local businesses might face difficulties in maintaining sales when it’s not tourism season, which means they have to adapt and attempt to market to the year-round residents or sponsor community events," she said.
“It is not unusual here to see owners serve and interact with their customers. This kind of one-on-one interaction can provide beneficial feedback directly from the customers regarding products or their experience with the business."
She notes there is a downside to that one-on-one interaction: "There’s no guarantee you will get the best feedback when people are being nice.”
Nevertheless, buying local helps businesses establish themselves first within their communities before growing and expanding outside of P.E.I., said James.
“It is important, and particularly, for smaller businesses that can thrive with a small market.”