Students should shop locally
October 9, 2022
The City of Austin is well-known for being a diverse metropolitan hub for industry, live music and creative culture. This has helped coin the catchphrase “Keep Austin Weird,” a motto repeated by locals from all corners of the city. This phrase has its roots in ensuring the community helps keep small and local businesses thriving.
From restaurants to toy shops to boutiques and bakeries, anything one could ever desire is only a few blocks away. In fact, Austin consistently ranks highly as one of the best places to start a business.
These small businesses are what help make Austin so great. But with rising costs of living, increased inflation and a global pandemic, these businesses have only continued to struggle. It’s up to us in the Austin community — including students — to ensure these small businesses receive the help they need to stay afloat.
While many Americans are moving on and adjusting to the new normal, consumers have shifted their habits to contactless purchases and digital spending overall. Small businesses, especially those centered on labor and in-person business, continue to struggle.
Angel Martinez, a part-time employee at a local Austin-based catering company, Swish Events, talked about some of the struggles she faced in finding in-person work.
“There’s definitely more people being reserved about … actually wanting to go through with the big events such as a wedding, an anniversary and Quinceaneras,” Martinez said.
Of course, one of the most prevalent concerns when it comes to shopping locally is the idea that it’s more expensive. In most cases, this may be true, but for many consumers, the knowledge that they’re spending slightly more on ethical, carefully crafted products and merchandise provides comfort.
Felix Moreno, a mathematics freshman who was raised in Austin, addressed concerns about local products costing more.
“I do think it’s worth it (to shop locally). I do understand some people, especially college students, really can’t afford shopping locally,” Moreno said. “If you do have some money to spare … I think we should try to be a little bit more compassionate.”
The global pandemic caused many local favorite stores to close their doors for good, and local businesses are still suffering today. It’s up to us in the Austin community to help make sure that these hard working individuals can stay in business. If you can afford it, shop locally. Local businesses deserve it.
Guzman is a social work and sociology sophomore from Austin, Texas.
