The Gazette has published a couple of “shop local” Op-Eds recently. In the 24 July issue, Carson Arthur, of Carson’s Garden + Market, described the current hard times, and small businesses struggling to stay open.

On 14 August, Duarte da Silva, CEO of the PEC Chamber of Commerce, reminded us that “98 percent of all businesses in the County are small businesses.”

Both noted that low tourist numbers were behind the current financial pain, and both noted readers could help by shopping local.

What is the meaning of “shop local”?

At its best, it is about community as much as it is about finance. Mr. Arthur encouraged us simply to talk to one another. Stopping in to say hello may not pay a shopkeeper’s bills, but it does reassure them that they are doing what they do for a reason. And Mr. da Silva stressed that there is strength in numbers, and working together will help see us through.

Of course, the social and the financial are linked.

A recent Facebook thread covered the cost of local corn. A dollar an ear was the going price early in the season. “But I can get it at a chain grocery for 29 cents,” was one comment. Leaving the quality of the product out of the equation (fresh from the field as opposed to trucked in from Niagara), there are economics at work.

One principle is to keep money in the community. It certainly is needed here; why send it to Loblaw’s Galen Weston, who will do a stock buyback to inflate this quarter’s profits, when you can give it to a farmer who will invest it in the local farm? Not to mention the “thanks and have a great day” from the farmer or farmer’s family that comes with the corn.

But our economy is not as simple as an agrarian exchange. Beyond the farms there are businesspeople providing goods and services, bringing in the shoes or the books we need, or offering the plumbing and heating.

Both Mr. Arthur and Mr. da Silva address the question, “Why would we want to acquire the identical item from a local shop rather than from Amazon?” Indeed. Amazon is, most likely, selling it for less.

But where is your money going? Jeff Bezos lives in California — and several other places, including, sometimes, outer space.

Acquiring these goods and services through a local seller means that your local seller is going to employ someone who will turn around and buy something from you. I hate to tell you this, but Jeff Bezos isn’t coming anytime soon.

It seems obvious. Of course we should shop local. But is it really that simple? Is paying an extra few quarters for an ear of corn really going to float the local economy? Further, many local businesses sell things that I don’t regularly need.

The County’s is primarily a tourist economy. A leaf through the old pages of the Picton Gazette makes clear tourism has been a prime mover, whether thick or thin, for over a hundred years. Today, many small businesses — accommodators, restauranteurs and food and wine vendors — depend on business from outside the County. Try as we might, local farmers, brewers, and vintners produce far more corn, not to mention beer and wine, than we can consume.

“Shop local” won’t really cover this. Very few locals need to rent short-term accommodations, for example.

Perhaps the idea of “shop local” needs to be redefined to accommodate (literally!) the tourist. A tourist paying a visit, renting a place to stay, buying meals and other entertainments, and stopping for the local corn, gets the money flowing in the right direction. The volume of incoming tourist dollars goes far beyond what avoiding Amazon can generate. 

And that’s just the financial aspect. There’s also community. The tourist industry is associated with “hospitality” for a reason. Ever since Odysseus travelled the Mediterranean Sea, our culture has put a high value on treating visitors well. No matter where someone comes from, we share a common humanity. Kindness and kinship are related words.

Another Facebook thread I encountered the other day was about “secret” swimming spots in the County. One contributor got mad. “You know that outsiders can read this post, right? Don’t give away the secret spots!”

“Local” ignores the rest of the world at its peril. It not only cuts off the spending that will sustain the local community, but makes false distinctions among fellow human beings.

Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of the “outsider” label. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” has always been good advice. Apart from its philosophical import, it has a practical impact. PEC is not the only destination of choice in the region! The tourist who experiences a hostile reception will not be back. Those who perceive resentment on the Community Pages of the internet will not come in the first place.

Our local businesses cannot afford that. One by one, they will close up shop. As each one does, we will, collectively, send more and more money to Amazon, never to be seen again, and certainly never to be reinvested in the community.

We cannot afford that.

“Shop local” must include “all welcome.” We can’t do this alone.