This may seem obvious to most, but locally owned businesses are vital to their local community. If you live in Springfield versus Eugene Oregon, you are still supporting Lane County, and vice versa.
Money spent here is more likely to be redistributed back into the community. Whether it is in business expenses, living expenses or taxes.
Also for businesses that grow even a little, they also tend to have employees. Not only employees, but local employees. While the overall impact to the local economy can range from small to very large, it is more than that at stake.
The locally owned and operated business is really the embodiment of the “American Dream.”
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, the set of ideals (democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity and equality) in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.[1]
The American Dream is rooted in the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that “all men are created equal” with the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”Quote source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream
While it can be cheaper or simpler to order from the giant online company, it does not improve your community. Personally, I try only to use the large companies to fill in, what the local companies do not offer. Yes, this is in self-interest, both for this business, but also for my kids and family who are here as well. When my make the choice on where to live as adults, I hope there is enough opportunity in Eugene or near Lane County Oregon for them to be near.
I have met many local business owners in the Eugene and Springfield area that use service providers or consultants from larger areas, but there is no need. The IT and tech companies locally provide service for far less than their Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco counterparts. Plus, they can provide a much more hands on and tailored approach.