A range of businesses that call Syracuse and Central New York home will come together Monday to try and convince people to spend their money locally. The 10th Buy Local Bash and has spent the last decade trying to support local buisnesses.
We all buy stuff. We spend money on eating, entertaining ourselves, and even getting insurance and the like. What if we thought more about how that money could help the local community?
“Your supporting folks that live in our neighborhoods, that use our schools and our businesses. And all these businesses employ local people.”
Shannon Fults is with the Syracuse First Program
“So supporting them and keeping them going and buying from them is keeping the dollars close. It’s keeping the employment up.”
That’s what the Buy Local Bash is supposed to do. Fults says many who come do learn about local businesses of all kinds.
“There are a lot of people that come and say, ‘Oh I never heard of them, I didn’t know that they had a pre-packaged item. I didn’t know they had free samples here, but this is where their restaurant is located.’ So it is a really good introduction to a lot of people.”
And the event can serve to channel some holiday shopping dollars to local businesses.
“There are folks that come there with the intent to shop. They want to get their gifts local, especially if they live here and maybe they’re traveling for the holidays, they like to bring something from home, wherever they’re heading.”
(BUY LOCAL BASH TICKETS AND INFO HERE)
You might remember Syracuse First as an organization, registering businesses to help them connect. It’s now a program of Centerstate CEO. And Fults says the program, along with 10 years of the Buy Local Bash, is making a difference.
“I would say we’re getting better at it. It’s kind of like its own little community. If you are maybe at a local restaurant, the owner might recommend another local establishment, whether it’s a shopping outlet or another restaurant, or brewery or distillery, or whatever is available in the area.”
Syracuse First plans other networking and business development opportunities in 2020. Tonight’s event will have lots of food vendors, other local retailers, as well as financial and other service businesses, and area non-profits. There’s all kinds of samples, as well as live music with Corey Paige and Simple Life. Buy Local Bashis at the F-shed in the regional market Monday starting at 5:00 pm.
This story has been updated to correct the date of the event and other copy corrections. The Buy Local Bash takes place Monday, November 25th.
