Editorial: Good intentions: Whenever possible, purchase local

• Cash Mob

The third River Falls cash mob descended on Second Chances store on Main Street Saturday afternoon.

Talk about it

There are so many shopping venues these days, including the growing online buying trend, that it’s easy to forget what’s available in our hometown of River Falls.

One organization, The Awareness Project (TAP), 208 S. Main St., is trying to make it harder to forget. The group’s been organizing “cash mobs.” These gather in large numbers ahead of time on a certain date, cash in hand, and pick a local store to patronize (mob).

TAP’s website at TAP explains what it hopes to achieve. The group promotes “civic engagement” and taking actions that “promote the quality of life in a community.”

TAP has already organized three cash mob Saturdays. The biggest turnout, about 100 people, was on Nov. 24.

Almost two-dozen participating merchants offered discounts and the ‘mob’ fanned out across the downtown to patronize their businesses from 1-4 p.m. This allowed for more businesses to be mobbed, yet not all at once, since some have small spaces inside to accommodate customers.

The next cash mob is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. Those interested should gather first at TAP’s office. Cash mobbing is expected to continue after the holidays, but will probably be done monthly instead of twice a month.

Organizer Nan Lambert said “buying local” is part of a national trend. Said Lambert: “Keep your dollars local, keep your neighbors employed and keep our local economy thriving.”

It’s a simple, sensible message: Remember the buy local option. You live here. Local shops, stores and businesses survive only to the extent that we patronize them. If they fail and go away, River Falls becomes nothing more than a suburban bedroom community.

This is the stretch run for the holiday shopping season. You don’t have to join a cash mob to consider shopping or patronizing a River Falls business. And the local buying option isn’t limited to the winter holidays.

Keep an open mind about it. Keep it that way year round.

Tags: river falls, opinion, business