We’ve all heard it. “Shop Local.” But why should this be important to you?

• Shopping local creates jobs! Did you know that 3 Kittens employs 16 people – 2 full-time staff and 14 part-time staff? And money earned in a community is more likely to stay in that community.
• Local independent stores invest more in our communities! Local businesses give more proportionally to charities. 3 Kittens recently launched our Giving Back program so we can support even more schools, local charities and community events.
• Shopping local helps our community distinctiveness!  Is it important to you that our community look different from other communities – or would you rather have the same stores and businesses as the next community? Chain stores have their place, of course, but the value of independent stores is that we can respond to what our customers want quickly with new and unique products that you may not be able to find in the chain stores. More independent stores means that you have more options and diversity of choices.
• Local shops value their customers! Better customer care and experiences are hallmarks of small, independent retailers – and 3 Kittens believes strongly in providing the best possible customer experience. We’re here to help you and teach you as you journey down your needlework path!
• Buying local = supporting yourself! When you shop small, you’re likely supporting other local businesses as well. 3 Kittens utilizes many other local businesses – Mendoberri, Lilydale Garden Center, The Cyborg’s Craft Room, Peak Printing, Kreative Acrylics, and more. So shopping local has a cumulative effect on the community in which we all live.
• Your tax dollars are put to good use! Small, local businesses require less infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services than nationally owned stores moving in.
• Decisions that impact our community are made locally! Julie and Laura live in the St Paul area, and we know that the decisions we make regarding our business will effect our community. We are invested in making our area survive and thrive!.
• Small stores can adapt to changing economic climates! We’ve recently gone through the Great Recession, but at 3 Kittens, we feel very grateful to our customers who, while feeling the pinch themselves, obviously wanted to see us stick around. Customer loyalty is key for a store to survive hard times – and I don’t know about you, but I’m more likely to be more loyal to a local shop than to a big chain.

These are just a few of the many reasons why local, small stores are important. Micheal H. Shuman, author of Going Local, puts it this way:

Going local does not mean walling off the outside world. It means nurturing locally owned business which use local resources sustainably, employ local workers at decent wages, and serve primarily local consumers. It means becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. Control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back into the community where it belongs.

And, finally, I just want to remind you that you can’t touch and feel fiber online – or see the full beauty of a hand-painted needlepoint canvas on a screen. And, after all, isn’t that what all of our needlework is about – using beautiful raw materials to make amazing things?