Bernadette Johnson bakes fresh goods at Raw Sugar Café, which is participating in the “Support Local” campaign.
As the Support Local November campaign comes to an end, organizers and local business owners say the campaign is more about collaboration than drumming up business.
“For us, it’s always exciting and fun to support each other. It’s not so much about making money. It’s about the camaraderie,” says Nadia Kharyati, owner of Raw Sugar Art Café.
Support Local is more than the average shop local campaign, as the list of nearly 150 participants includes not only shops and restaurants, but also artists and cultural establishments.
While people are encouraged to buy local, the campaign’s message is not just for consumers. It’s also for graphic designers, artists, restaurants, businesses and local media, who are urged to forge new collaborations.
These collaborations include mutual advertising, hanging local art on the walls, or bringing in a local jazz trio or DJ to spice up an evening at a restaurant. Many businesses already do these things, but the campaign encourages local businesses to support their communities more.
“Ottawa’s a really community-based city. We’re such a good size, and people really recognize the need for collaboration,” says Karen Diepeveen, Support Local’s main co-ordinator and an editor at Ottawa blog Apartment613.
Apartment613 is the umbrella organization that started Support Local month in 2011. The campaign has since grown significantly. In 2011, Support Local had only 36 participants and 20 events. This year, it had more than 70 events, says Diepeveen.
Support Local’s popularity suggests it works well for local businesses, but the evidence isn’t being measured in dollars.
“A lot of our evidence is anecdotal,” Diepeveen says. She recalls a local boutique that held a girls' night out a couple of years ago.
Two women came in to do nail art and the event inspired them to start a business together.
Customers who shop locally strengthen the small businesses along Ottawa’s main streets, says Christine Leadman, Bank Street BIA executive director.
“We don’t want to lose our identity, the fabric of our traditional main streets,” she says.