Not Sold on ‘Buy Local’

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Santa Monica has been trying to boost business with a “Buy Local” marketing campaign for two years now, but not many merchants say they find it especially fruitful.

A recent survey reported that most businesses think the initiatives have had little effect. For example, 50 percent of respondents said the social media component of the initiative was only somewhat effective or not effective at all; 27 percent didn’t even know the social media initiative existed.

The city and area business improvement districts began the program in 2009.The “Buy Local” campaign provides businesses with a window decal and includes them in its online directory, but it’s up to each business to take other initiatives, such as joining networking events or staging sales.

Lee Caplin, owner of Arcana: Books of the Arts, an independent bookstore that’s been at its Third Street Promenade site since 1987, said the campaign had no impact. The shop left Santa Monica last week for Culver City.

“We’d like to support it and hope that it works, but it doesn’t seem to have a high enough profile to have made any difference,” Caplin said.

Steve King, a partner at Emergent Research in Lafayette and who has no connection to the Santa Monica effort, said buy local campaigns help boost sales, but not by much.

“They don’t suddenly shift things dramatically,” King said. “You can expect some help from it, but don’t expect miracles.”

Jennifer Taylor, chairwoman of the “Buy Local” committee and economic development administrator for the city, said those merchants who aren’t especially jazzed about the program likely haven’t made sufficient efforts.

“There are businesses that will sign up and get the ‘Buy Local’ decal to put on the window, but that’s all they do,” Taylor said.

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