Think local first.
That’s the tagline of this year’s second annual Buy Local Campaign in Rhinelander, which launched earlier this week.
The month-long campaign features four weeks with different themes: eat local, shop local, explore local and be local.
“We like to celebrate the different things and highlight different activities that can fit with those themes,“ says Lauren Sackett, the executive director of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce.
The first Buy Local Campaign took place last year, as a way to help struggling shops and restaurants generate business during a pandemic.
This year, the campaign is back by popular demand.
“We enjoyed the reaction we had from businesses and we thought it would serve as a good reminder to continue doing the campaign year after year,” Sackett says.
Sackett says whether it’s the middle of a pandemic or not, buying local is a way to reinvest in the community.
“Small businesses keep more money local than if you perhaps went online,” she says. “For every dollar that you spend in a small business, 67 cents of that stays within your local community. It’s a continuous reinvestment in where you live.”
She encourages people to take the 715 pledge.
That’s to visit seven local businesses and spend at least $15 at each before August 6.
