Last week our company made it into an insert in our local newspaper titled, "Shop Smart, Shop Local, Shop Quinte West." It was an awesome insert in the paper! It truely shows the sense of community which can be found in Quinte West, a community I am very proud to say I am a part of. I will admit that I doubt my business would still be running without the support of my family, friends and very importantly my community. When walking down the street you get a sense of "belonging" as people will smile, wave and say "hi" as they are walking by. I'll confess that after finishing up University at Laurier in Waterloo, ON it was a bit of a tough transition back to a smaller city. Bigger cities have perks like more people, bigger shopping malls and more to do. But you really just can't beat the community you come from, the community that helps make you feel like you belong. 

Wondering how much of a difference shopping local really makes? Here are some interesting statistics to encourage each person to shop local:
- for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $73 remains in the local economy, and $27 leaves
- When you shop locally owned businesses, your money is recirculated over and over and creates up to 75% more tax revenue to your community and province

If you would like to read the article about our business you can find it here. Feel free to peruse the entire insert to see what is going on in Quinte West.  

Well done Quinte West! Proud to say I am a citizen and a small business owner in your town!