Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Think Local’ initiative expands

ALBANY — For Albany Area Chamber of Commerce officials, the $15 on the 15th initiative that kicks off Friday is more about changing habits than it is creating any kind of abrupt, immediate transformation.

By encouraging area shoppers to keep the Chamber’s “Think Local” campaign viable by consciously spending $15 locally on the 15th of each month, the Chamber of Commerce expects a gradual uptick in the community’s economy. But, more importantly, Chamber officials say they hope to see a gradual change in the way people shop.

“Initially, we don’t really expect the $15 on the 15th to have a really significant impact on the local economy,” Jenny Savelle, the chairwoman of the Chamber’s Small Business Resources Division, said. “But over time, hopefully shoppers will change their habits and think of our local businesses first. And we want to stress that this is not just about retail. We want our community to shop local, use local services and look locally for additions to the labor force.

“We’re not saying don’t buy anywhere else. We’re just saying get into the habit of thinking local first. We hope this is the kind of campaign that will have even our government authorities — the city and county commissions and the school board — looking at local vendors first. This is the kind of initiative that can spur the local economy from the top-down or from the bottom-up.”

The $15 on the 15th concept is simple enough. Local consumers are being asked to spend at least $15 at local businesses on the 15th of each month. But Chamber Director of Membership Mary Bickerstaff offers some compelling statistics to support the campaign.

“The concept is, simply, to support Albany businesses,” Bickerstaff said. “But statistics show that a concerted effort to support local businesses can have a significant impact over time.”

Statistics that are part of the Civic Economics Andersonville Study of Retail Economics show that if every family in the metro Albany area spent just $10 a month at locally-owned businesses rather than national chain outlets, more than $4.9 million would return directly to the community annually. That number is based on statistics that indicate $68 of every $100 spent locally stays in the local community.

“We want to stress that we are not saying everyone should ignore national chains in the community for $15 on the 15th,” Chamber Director of Communications Rachelle Bitterman said. “We support all of our locally owned businesses, but this initiative simply encourages consumers to shop in Albany first.

“So many people here have trained themselves to think that they can’t find what they want in Albany. But 99 percent of the time, if they do a little shopping they find that not only can they get the things they want in Albany, they can usually get them for less.”

As part of the $15 on the 15th initiative, Chamber officials ask shoppers to take selfies of their shopping experience and share them on the agency’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter social media pages using #15on15ALB. Photos will be randomly drawn and $25 gift cards awarded to shoppers who share their experience.

Local businesses that are active participants in the Chamber’s Think Local campaign are listed on the Chamber’s Website.

“If you need some ideas for places to shop on the 15th, check out our Website for suggestions,” Bitterman said.