More and more people are opting to spend their dollars locally in a bid to support their community. It is a well known fact that locally owned businesses create communities that are more affluent and generally better-off across a wide range of metrics. That is why magazine decided it was time to celebrate the achievements of local business by listing our favourite retailers. When we buy from them, rather than national chains, a significantly greater portion of your money is then cycled back through our local economy and local farms — ultimately strengthening the base of our whole community. More importantly, small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and provide the most jobs to residents and pay more taxes which help our health
