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  Pharm \’färm\ n : a home in an urban neighborhood where new life is growing from the ancient soil for the benefit of the resident and community as a whole.

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Here we are a week and a half away from the infamous Black Friday and two weeks from Cyber Monday. As we sift through our closets to see what we can re-gift, look at the naughty list to see who we can skimp on, and analyze the budget and credit card limits to see what we can spend, now is the perfect time to commit to keeping our holiday spending local. I know it can be tough to resist a good, old-fashioned stampede at the Wal-Mart at 5 am on a brisk post-Thanksgiving morning, but consider the benefits of buying your gifts at our fine local retailers (from Local First).

On average, 73% of money spent locally stays in the local economy. Alternatively, only 43% of money spent at non-local companies is recirculated in West Michigan.

Local goods, on average, don’t travel as far to reach the store. This means that there is less of an environmental impact.

Local business owners give more to local charities and non-profits than non-local business owners, strengthening our community.

Local business owners are vested in our community, and are more likely to invest in and care for our community than non-local owners.

Most new jobs are created by local businesses.

Products sold by local businesses tend to be more unique, making for very special gifts [...]

When: THIS THURSDAY, October 15, 4 – 8 pm
Where: Wealthy St., between Union and Fuller
What: A night to stroll down Wealthy St., grab a bite to eat, have a drink, and enjoy some great shopping deals.

Businesses and promotions include:

I Candy: 30% off one item, 40% off custom canvasses

Meanwhile: $1.00 off Michigan Products, $2.50 New Holland Ichabod (Pumpkin Ale)

Electric Cheetah/Brick Road Pizza/Bear Manor: Collaborating for food, crafts, and prizes

Evolve: Gift certificates and coupons

Verhey Carpets: Flooring sales, drawing for gas card

Kitchen Design Studio: Refreshments and 15% off sink/faucet

Fusion Salon: 15% off Aveda products & services, or 15% off if you book an appointment during the Autumn [...]

Weekend of 6/5 – 6/7

The Festival of the Arts is celebrating their 40th anniversary. Lots of great art, music, food, dancing, and so on. The forecast looks beautiful, so it should be a perfect weekend to celebrate the arts in downtown Grand Rapids.

Then, on Sunday night, Uptown is presenting a performance of Noises Off. I posted it earlier here. I still have a few tickets left, so let us know ASAP if you’re interested.

Finally, don’t forget about the WSBA celebration of Asparagus this Wednesday at the Wealthy Theatre [...]

I had the pleasure of attending Designing Sustainable Communities conference yesterday at Aquinas College. This inaugural event was organized by Local First and featured a presentation by Patagonia’s Craig Throne (VP of Global Marketing), numerous sustainability-focused break-out sessions, and some of the best [...]

If it’s not obvious by the Local First stickers and “Buy Local” decals that cover the front of our office, spending our dollars locally is very important to us at Urban Pharm. By purchasing supplies, entertaining clients, contracting services, and so on from local vendors, more money is kept in West Michigan. According to Local First, 73% of money spent locally STAYS in our local economy. Only 43% of money spent at non-local businesses stays in our economy. By keeping our money in West Michigan, local employers can hire more people, are more likely to invest in our communities, and it’s the environmentally responsible thing to do as goods don’t have to travel across the country to reach us.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of shopping locally, as well as find stores in West Michigan that have the same commitment, visit Local First at http://www.localfirst.com/.

So, in keeping with the tradition that was started in our first year of operation (2007), here is a chart of our spending in 2008.

As you can see, we managed to keep 83% of our purchases in the local business community. We are extremely happy with our results this year, as we surpassed last year’s mark [...]