PA Forward Organizes "Buy Local" Campaign
Mike Edwards of the PA Forward Committee gave a speech at yesterday's meeting of the Port Angeles Business Association.
Basically, when you do your shopping here in Port Angeles, your money stays in Port Angeles. When you make your purchases out of town or online, your money goes elsewhere.
Edwards said PA Forward's mission is to “encourage reinvestment in the local economy” by making your purchases here, not in Silverdale or on Amazon.com.
Basically, when you do your shopping here in Port Angeles, your money stays in Port Angeles. When you make your purchases out of town or online, your money goes elsewhere.
Edwards said PA Forward's mission is to “encourage reinvestment in the local economy” by making your purchases here, not in Silverdale or on Amazon.com.
posted by Tom Harper at 6:14 AM
42 Comments:
I can garanty you folkses that wen you gift me a doller that dollers gonna be spent rit heer in Port Anjelez!
"PABA President Kaj Ahlburg agreed with the Port Angeles focus, saying one “think local” goal is to prevent downtown from becoming “a ghost town,” with even more empty storefronts than it already has."
So, during construction, are you and the rest of the Gottschalks crew going to let the city use your parking lot for free, you hypocrite bastard?
Right. But, just don't park at that empty lot of the former Gottschalk store, downtown.
That was okay when you were spending money at THEIR store, but, they'd rather see it sit empty, than help their community.
Way to go Kaj!
Why should Gottschalks let anyone park in their parking lot for free?
Would all you hypocrites let people park in your driveways for free. Get real people!
The "buy local" thing is a great idea, now too bad that local merchants don't have any support from their city government, can't have sidewalk signs, or banners (without $$$ permits), and are charged a ridiculous utility rate (compared to the ridiculous regular rates). Meanwhile, yeah, Kaj should just shut up and sit down. He's a joke, and needs to stop being such a little girl.
Why should Gottschalks let anyone park in their parking lot for free?
Would all you hypocrites let people park in your driveways for free. Get real people!
You mean if I had a parking lot I wasn’t using behind a vacant downtown store? If I was trying desperately to paint myself as a civic minded individual who cares about the town I live in? Would I let the city temporarily use my space in order to mitigate the pain of downtown construction? HELL YES, I would. But then I’m not a scumbag carpetbagger masquerading as a civic saint, either.
Gottchalks doesn't exist poster from 9:29 am. It's the Erickson Trust that SHOULD be trying to support the downtown merchants during this latest insane construction project. And, YES I would allow people to park in my driveway FREE, if it meant helping our downtown merchants, and our town.
So much for YOUR civic pride, bub. You must be one of the old guard in this stinking little rat-hole of a town that your forefathers created. Obviously it's trickle-down-ass-hats for our heritage here. You can see it clearly in the Erickson Trust and the Real Estate cabal.
How about a "hire local" campaign for City contracts? Now THAT would have a real economic impact.
Can't we somehow find a way to blame Edna for this?
Ask those very folks where they spend their money, and their vacation money. And if they say, here, ask for proof of such.
I don't like others telling me where I should spend my money and buy my Chinese made shit but if you must know, I buy most of it right here.
Did you hear that the college is laying off a bunch of employees this week. I got the axe today, my boss yesterday.Not sure how many yet. State Budget Cuts.
The massage therapy program is gone, the fisheries.
They wont' give a list of the names of people who are laid off so it's all word of mouth at this point. And people have been encouraged to retire.
The BAS four-year degree program will still have students but the people who run that office are laid off.
Please if you are laid off or know somebody, let's get a list of names together.
Lila Morris
Can't we somehow find a way to blame Edna for this?
I don't know, look at the products for sale in her store to see where they were made?
Retailers here still don't get it. They have to EARN my business. They don't get a free pass because they're "local" and trying to get business based on this pity fest is pathetic.
Anon 1:34PM
Okay Erickson Trust, they still should not be expected to let people use their property of free.
Get real, all you poor lazy people.
Your entitlement days are over and NO you are not entitled to park on MY property!!!
We have scheduled "Two Minutes OF Hate For Kaj Ahlburg" at the downtown fountian at 10:00 a.m. this morning. Chai lattes and gluten-free scones will be served. Afterwards there will be a Community Drumming Circle to banish the evil energy generated by the downtown construction.
Erickson Trust should allow parking, and if they want to charge, it should be a very, nominal amount (if they want a contract that says "if they rent it, sell it, then parking will be revoked". It's the stupid amount, and the arrogance and the bullshit blame "our real estate agents suggested it". They need to man-up, assuming they still have their balls (which I doubt).
Meanwhile, shopping local does NOT mean shopping downtown. Shopping local MEANS buying things from smaller merchants whenever possible. Using local vendors, and trying to support local businesses. However, the merchants need to meet you half-way. They cannot continue to over-price their products and/or have poor customer service. They need to be proactive, instead of reactive. BUT...since the downtown ass(ociation) doesn't ever do any marketing surveys, or find out what customers need, want or would like to see, and no one puts pressure on the downtown building owners to charge reasonable rents (as they're making out like bandits, not re-investing capital into the buildings, and trying to get Seattle rents for an area that has almost ZERO foot traffic). The city needs to roll back ALL PERMIT fees for businesses. They need to chill out and relax the bullshit codes, since they do NOT ENFORCE BUILDING CODES on the building owners, and not on certain long-time businesses. It is much too expensive to do business in this town and still be able to compete with big box stores and Silverdale.
And, it's shooting in the dark. There is really no way to meet the needs of the citizen of Port Angeles, if there is no way to know what that need is.
We also need a better Chamber of Commerce head. The one we have seems to think that his shit don't stink, and work is for the peons, tourists are more important than locals, and his salary is more important than benefits to the business community.
anon 11:57am said
"Erickson Trust should allow parking, and if they want to charge, it should be a very, nominal amount"
$35 per month per space is just over a dollar a day.
I'd say that's pretty nominal, especially considering the city charges $5 to $8 per day at the Gateway Center.
Quit being stupid
Does shopping at WalMart count as shopping local?
Face it PABA - WalMart has one super store and will soon have another one in Sequim. Their business plan is to capture regions so the population is dependent upon WalMart.
That is really too bad since other stores had planned to come to the peninsula, which would have offered variety, but backed out since WalMart took over the area.
If WalMart had not been allowed to take over this region, we could have had a varied retail market that would have kept shoppers here and interested. As it is - It is WalMart or else.
hey 1:20....I'm not being stupid.
The CITY charges merchants $15 a month for parking, in designated spaces in lots. That's .50 cents a day -- the GOING RATE, bub.
So, why should Erickson get twice as much, when they are getting diddly squat right now?
See, you must be part of the old-timers in this town -- you have the logic of my elderly cat. (Might as well crap outside the box, as in it, don't make no different to anyone, right?)
I have an idea...why not undercut the city parking fees, and charge $7.50 a month....how about $1.00 token fee, with the option of raising it IF needed?
Or better, why don't they rent the stupid building, or bulldoze it, and put up a park. It's a crappy building, anyway.
I really get tired of this piss-ant shit that passes for brains in this town.
Walmart is the sure way to kill a local economy, but all you "shoppers" can't live without it. How easy it is to go to one place, and get all your stuff....and the deals, right?
Too bad you are what is ruining America. And, you call your self American's!! Might as well roll over and give up now, we'll soon be a third world country because of the likes of Walmart!!!
Anon 10:41,
Yeah, that's a good idea, let's bulldoze and build another park.
I think anon 1:20 was right, you are being stupid.
Between people like you and the City of Port Angeles, business's don't have a chance around these parts. Then when you guys are done the fucked up state government takes B&O tax, then the Feds take 38.9% of any profit left over.
Pretty soon the only jobs left will be service jobs
Once again the morons are telling customers what THEY need to do. Sorry, but retail doesn’t work that way. See, You, as a retailer, are supposed to offer me, as a customer, goods and services that I want or need at a competitive price. In turn I give you money and I get those goods and or services. It’s not my responsibility to sacrifice price or quality in order that your business survives. That’s up to you. If you’re too stupid to offer the goods I need, too greedy to ask a fair price, too lazy to keep your facilities clean and up to date, that’s your problem. If you offer me crappy meat and produce, I’ll go to Sunny Farms. If you haven’t updated your selection since the ‘70’s, I’ll buy my furniture in Seattle. If you can’t be bothered to keep stock on hand (Duh, I can order that for you…) I’ll buy online. Don’t blame Wal-Mart- The dismal retail picture in Port Angeles is caused by and large, by dismal retailers.
Buy Local?
A couple weeks ago, I broke two sockets in my Craftsmen tool set working on a friends truck. The next day, I went to the Sears on Lincoln to get replacements. "We don't have those in stock", was the reply.
I suggested they might call the store in Sequim, to see if THAT Sears might have the tools. The young girl called, and a minute later said "They don't have any, either".
I asked what should I do, to which she said they could order the replacements, and have them shipped directly to my house. How long would that take? Two weeks, assuming the sockets are not out of stock.
Knowing I was going to visit friends in Victoria over the weekend, I just left. Yes, both of the sockets were on the self at the Victoria Sears.
It is just too hard to do much in Port Angeles. Stupid, and proud of it!
I buy wine locally, does that count?
Buying craftsman is your first problem. I think it's been renamed crapsmen for good reason.
The local "stores" aren't. Try and get service on an appliance. Sears now (corporate policy) that you have a service person come out look, assess the situation, and then order the part, and then come back out to install the said part, once part is in stock. Two service calls. Voila! They've doubled their profits.
As for stores not having things in stock...the worst part is they don't know who might have it. I looked for ladder jacks -- by going from one shop to the next, to the next. I did find them, but it was after 14 stops. You'd THINK that there would be some cooperation amongst the merchants....to help out the poor hapless customers. No wonder we go off the peninsula to shop. It's FASTER.
Craftsman was bought by a private equity firm that sends its manufacturing to China.
They have strict management. One of their brilliant ideas is to keep inventory as low as possible - on the manufacturing end. For that reason they are never prepared to fill orders if they are in excess of what is expected. Another strategy is to pay their vendors months late.
The owner of that equity firm is a billionaire and he pays his compnay CEOs very well - one received a $45 million bonus.
It is not about the consumer - it is about their fabulous wealth. This firm owns about 100 companies.
I hope everyone who finds outsourced products unsatisfactory returns them. They do make conscious decisions to decrease the quality of products to increase their profits.
"Craftsman was bought by a private equity firm that sends its manufacturing to China.
They have strict management. One of their brilliant ideas is to keep inventory as low as possible..."
Okay. Ya got me in a tough spot here. I'm going to defend Craftsmen car tools.
Those sockets I broke were the first of the set I bought over 10 years ago. I have repaired so many machines in that time, I wouldn't even try to count 'em. Full engine rebuilds to light weight stuff. Even today, I was using the set to fix damage done to a friends car from a fender-bender in that snow storm on Weds.
The TOOLS are not bad, and the service in Victoria was as promised. But, not here in Port Angeles. THAT was my point.
I got your point. It was another poster who suggested a problem with Craftsmen.
Your 10 year old tools probably preceded the move to China.
I try to share info about what private equity firms are doing to our manufacturing in this country.
They buy companies that earned a reputation of quality and turn them into companies that generate cash and mediocre products.
I spends mai moneys at gatewai Tevernt and Food Marts. Beer and ciggerests. Bai locel yall!
I'm going to stick up for retailers that special order--as long as it's within reason. I understand that this is a small community, that keeping everything in stock takes up shelf space and ties up money, and if it doesn't even sell that you're stuck with a bunch of useless crap. I don't have a problem with businesses that want to keep their operations lean and mean, as long as they can get the product for me in a timely manner and are friendly when doing it.
The problem is, I've had too many bad experiences in this town. I've been yelled at when I ask a question, I've been blatantly ignored, I've gotten the wrong order over and over, I've paid way more than I would out of town, I've had to wait three weeks for an order only to have it arrive broken. I won't even get into my experiences at the local movie theater.
Seriously, when online sales started I could not wait to stop buying from Port Angeles merchants. It took me a long time before I started venturing into local stores again.
The smart merchants will find a lesson in this. The dumb ones will complain about how they're entitled to my money and try to guilt me into buying local.
the reason I won't shop Walmart is because it's the worst-of-the-worst when it comes to corporate accountability. I won't shop at Safeway or Albertsons because of the stupid way they do business, and because they are corporate monsters who care more about the executive level perks and wages, than the consumer.
I have given up on Sears. I have given up on a great many places, and try to NOT buy anything. I go to Saars. I go to Nash. I go to Sunny Farms. I buy from Goodwill and consignment stores. I buy on craigslist. I have given up on credit cards, debit cards, and anything else "consumer" related. I don't go to fast food restaurants.
As it turns out I don't really need as much as I used to think I did. In fact, I don't miss not going to any of those places, and I don't miss being in the consumer rat-race.
If a merchant in town is an ass (and many are) I write a letter and say that I won't be a customer, and why. Maybe they'll wise up, maybe they won't.
I'm fed up with the way the world is going -- ROI, corporate greed, cheaper products, no customer service, outsourced labor, and employee exploitation. The only way I can change things is to NOT give them MY MONEY. Screw them all....
If 10% of American Consumers did the same thing....the corporations would freak out. If 20% of American Citizens did the same...there would be some major shake ups. If 30% of Americans did this...some of the big corporations would start to fold. ....Doesn't take that much, all it takes is pay attention where you spend your money.
I try to share info about what private equity firms are doing to our manufacturing in this country.
They buy companies that earned a reputation of quality and turn them into companies that generate cash and mediocre products.
.........
You're absolutely correct. It is so easy to look around, and see how our country has been looted. If it was such a good thing for everyone, why is our country in such bad shape?
Does no one shop at Country Aire? Why drive all the way out to Carlsborg?
Because the dairy, and Nash are all in easy distance to Sunny Farms. Country Aire is downtown, in the opposite direction. Plus, it has the hassles of no parking, often, and is usually OUT of the raw milk, because they don't seem to make point of keeping it in stock. (The last 4 times I've tried them...different days of the week...at different times, trying to just avoid a trip to Sunny Farms or the dairy -- NO milk. All kinds of b.s. excuses "oh we get a delivery tomorrow" "oh, yeah, it sold out fast".) I give up. Why do I want to deal with a store that doesn't have what I really want, AND a lot of what I don't want (not a vegan, not a vegetarian, and, don't need foo-foo faux "healthy" pre-made junk).
So, you ask why NOT Country Aire? That is why. I have nothing against them, other than they offer me nothing except the raw milk, and since I cannot depend upon that, why waste my time trying? I'd rather drive to Sunny Farms who has it 99% of the time, or drive out to the Dairy, who has it 100% of the time.
I used to go to Good to GO for milk until a.) the old owners stopped carrying it, and b.) the new owners started charging way too much.
Meanwhile, McPhee's or whatever it is on 8t and Lauridsen, is just somewhere I never stop. It's not inviting. The old shop, before the last fire, was cute and I loved it. this is like going into a barn. No appeal at all. Other than that, I can't say why else....human's are quirky.
I've learned never to go to Country Aire on either a Wednesday or a Thursday as they seem to run out of just about everything by those two days (Thursday being the worst).
I've all too often had the "We're out of stock until Monday/Friday" responce or a confused, deer in the headlights look from a newbie employee.
For such a small store they seem to have a high rate of employee turn over. New faces seem to come and go within a few weeks or a few months. The few long term employees all seem exhausted and burnt out. Is the store even owned by the same person?
The Country Aire always seems to me to be somebody’s hobby as opposed to somebody’s business. The checkout line moves like a glacier. I go there (when I have the time) when I don’t feel like making the trip to Sequim. As far as McPhee’s, it’s one of the only neighborhood Mom and Pops left. Along with Grandview, these are convenience type stores and fill their niche nicely (imho). They both beat 7-11 hands down. QUIRKY? You want quirky, Frank McPhee will serve it up, corny jokes included free of charge. I don’t see either as a replacement for a full on grocery store, but I do see them as a pleasant alternative to corporate “mini mart” shit like AM/PM or 7-11.
Is the store even owned by the same person?
No. New owners from Seattle. :(
Apparently Russ from the Chamber of Commerce is throwing a MAJOR HISSY FIT over this campaign. Not because it has no merit. Not because it's going to harm the town. No, he's all bent out of shape because it's an idea that isn't coming from...him.
This old fools ego is apparently so large as to cover his eyes and ears completely and make him blind to how lame and out of touch he is. Really, Russ, good ideas actually CAN come from sources other than you.
And, actually Russ...Some of your ideas haven't been so good. The D.O.A. "Jazz" festival??? It was so old it made you look young. Hiring your own niece to work at the Chamber? Well, gosh! I'm super sure she was the best candidate for the job. Not that you actaully posted or advertised the job, but still...
Or are you most upset because a "buy local" campaign might point out the fact that the overpaid head of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce actually lives in Sequim?
I'm wondering: Why are we not hearing from the Master Organizer Ed Chadd about this? He is SO slick about all the "behind the scenes" local political stuff in Port Angeles.
You are REALLY behind this "Buy Local" effort, aren't you Ed? I've seen the emails.
Why hide from us? Be up front, for a change.
Ed Chadd is also part of the brain trust, if you want to call it that, behind Max Mania. But Ed had been scouting the local talent for suitable candidates for city council - until he hit the jackpot in Mania!
Anonymous 11:40 PM, March 01, 2011
Yes, I agree! How dare some LOCAL try to support LOCAL businesses! He must be loco to care about LOCALS! Damn you, Ed Chadd, whoever you are, you and your concern for our LOCAL economy! I used to think it was Norma Turner who ran things here, but I know better now!
Thanks for posting, Russ! It's nice to know you're reading this (LOCAL) blog!
"...until he hit the jackpot in Mania!" Which is true, since Mania won the election. Obviously this point still stings a bit, eh?
"Ed Chadd is also part of the brain trust, if you want to call it that, behind Max Mania." Gee, and I thought it was the voters who decided the election. Now I find out its this Ed! Who knew?
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