West Marin: A Local Living Economy

In 2001, my long time dream of owning a community serving business was realized when, without any retail or bookselling experience, I purchased the Brown Study Bookshop, a sleepy used bookstore in Point Reyes Station. I soon came to learn the realities of owning a small independent business in an age when consumers are seeking the best deal and are drawn to purchasing goods online and in big box stores.

The last two decades have brought sweeping changes in many American communities as strip malls, big box retailers and e-commerce internet sites replace the traditional locally owned shops on Main Street . Independent bookstores alone have fallen from 4,700 in 1993 to 2,500 today. David Korten, author of The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century describes how, “unlike the owners of locally based businesses, the absentee shareholder owners of these new businesses have little knowledge or concern for the consequences at the local level for action taken on behalf of the corporation.”

( Nielsen/NetRatings statistics show internet purchases totaled $40. billion in the 2006, an increase of 30 percent from the previous year. Internet book sales revenues reached $4 billion in 2006 up from $2.6 billion in 2002, with 2.3 million persons visiting Amazon books on a daily basis.)

Today there is a growing movement of independent businesses who are creating “local living economies” and who seek a “living return” -- one partially paid by the benefits of living and working in healthy, vibrant communities and actively participating in civic affairs which sustains community life, economic viability, and the natural environment. West Marin has dynamic local living economy. Business owners here, are a part of, and care about, the social, cultural and environmental fabric of our area. They have personal relationships with one another, merchants, customers, teachers, students, ranchers, farmers, employees, service providers, park service employees, non-profit organizations, chefs, etc. They define success more holistically than investor-owned corporations, it's not just the bottom line no matter what the social and environmental costs.

(Living and doing business in West Marin one soon learns that locally owned, independent businesses and farms are the lifeblood of the West Marin and coastal economy. I also quickly learned how deeply committed these businesses are to our villages, how much they contribute, in financial and non-quantifiable ways, to the vibrancy and uniqueness of West Marin.)

Last year Point Reyes Books, in collaboration with the West Marin Chamber of Commerce and Marin Organic, initiated a "Think Local First" campaign that is encouraging both locals and visitors to "shop and eat local." Supported by the national Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), West Marin Think Local First Campaign has multiple goals:

encouraging residents, both full-time as well as weekenders, to think of purchasing West Marin products and services first before purchasing them elsewhere
encouraging locally owned businesses to do more business with other locally owned businesses.
educating both locals and visitors about the benefits of buying and eating locally grown food, supporting small independent food growers and the Bay Area's growing sustainable organic food system
educating the more than 2 million visitors who come to West Marin annually about the benefits of buying local and supporting small independent businesses wherever they may live.

West Marin's population is luckily small enough to not be threatened by Big Boxes being built here—but we are threatened none the less. The continued existence of unique and locally owned stores, businesses and farms is threatened by the dollars spent over the hill and online. Michael Shuman's describes in his book, The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global the "multiplier effect" one of a dozen reasons why, when price and convenience are roughly equal, conscientious consumers should always favor local goods and services. “Every local purchase you make triggers purchases by others. The more times a dollar circulates within a defined geographic area and the faster it circulates without leaving that area, the more income, wealth, and jobs it generates. Several economic studies have shown that locally owned business provide substantial benefits to the local economy, by contributing $68 of every $100 back into the community.”

The price tag on goods is only one way to evaluate their cost...and value. Another consideration is the environmental impact of individual car trips over the hill, versus goods in large quantities being trucked in. Also, the time and expense involved in distant shopping expeditions versus shopping locally. The quality of locally raised food is better and purchasing it supports the continued existence of the farms and ranches that contribute in so many ways to our way of life. (What is the value we place on local businesses' commitment to our community? What is the commitment we as a community are willing to make to those businesses?)

(Small businesses make indispensable charitable contributions to local non-profits, schools and community needs. A study of businesses detailing charitable giving showed that when in-kind contributions were included, small businesses gave an average of $789 per employee, medium sized businesses $172, and large firms $334.)

During 2006, Point Reyes Books sponsored over 42 author and other events. Amazon.com sponsored 0 events. The bookstore raised through these events and other projects such as Book Angels and the Wild Book Show more than $70,000 for local non-profits, schools and other community projects. Amazon.com raised $0. for local organizations. The bookstore purchased goods and services from over 40 local businesses. Amazon purchased 0 goods. California independent booksellers collected over $10 million in sales taxes last year to support schools, social services, and public agencies. Amazon paid $0 sales taxes.

( Small businesses account for the largest share of net new jobs generated each year, and locally based business provide some of the most stable employment opportunities in a community. The loss of a local business can impact a community dramatically as evidenced by the recent fire and loss of Manka's. Over 30 employee's lost their jobs and many local food producers have suffered financial losses.)

Most importantly, commerce, at a smaller scale, creates relationships, which is a primary value of a small community. Here in West Marin, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to know our shopkeepers, our growers, our producers, and our service providers, as they are often our neighbors and our friends.

Author and poet Wendell Berry describes that t he idea of a local living economy “rests upon only two principles: community and subsistence. In a viable community, neighbors ask themselves what they can do or provide for one another, and they find answers that they and their place can afford. This, and nothing else, is the practice of community. Of course, everything needed locally cannot be produced locally. But a viable community is made up of neighbors who cherish and protect what they have in common.”

Steve Costa with his wife Kate own Point Reyes Books and reside in Inverness .

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