Going Local: Why Local is Better.

(this section was taken from here, a great article on the case for local!)

1. Buy Local — Support yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms — continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.(Click here to see summaries of a variety of economic impact studies; these include case studies showing that locally-owned businesses generate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the community and our tax base.)
2. Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.
3. Keep our community unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun — all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.  “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust
4. Create more good jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community.
5. Get better service: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.
6. Invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.
7. Put your taxes to good use: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.
8. Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.  A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
9. Encourage local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

By Emily Evans

The holiday season is here and everyone is looking for the good deals and the fancy gadgets for their loved ones. Online shopping now has an entire week of record sales figures proving that more and more people are going online to buy.  Here at Salt Lake Running co, we understand online shopping and the perceived convenience of it, but we also understand and value the many perks customers receive directly and indirectly of purchasing in-store from local retailers (see above!).

Shopping online can produce headaches when the following issues arise:

• Authenticity of the products is questionable.
• The fit or knowing what size to get is iffy.
• High shipping costs unless you spend way more than you intended.
• Ordering shoes in time for a race or for a gift and not getting them in time.
• Items get lost in the mail.
• Bad or just overall lack of customer service.
• No return policy or a very strict return policy.
• Long wait times for refunds.
• Receiving the wrong product.
• Damaged package or product upon arrival.
• Purchased the wrong shoe just to save a few bucks.

While buying locally is sometimes slightly more costly, the benefits are anything but minimal and they pay dividends (again, SEE ABOVE!!). Here are some great reasons why buying from Salt Lake Running Co is much better than buying online.

• Salt Lake Running Company is a respectable, family owned, local business that has been up and running since 1995 (pun totally intended).
• Our staff members are incredibly knowledgeable about shoes, products, injuries, nutrition, and training.
• We offer free races  and clinics throughout the year, and affordable coached training programs for every level of runner/walker. We also provide free yoga and spinning classes throughout certain times of the year at no cost to participants.
• Many of our staff members are Certified Athletic Trainers and have advanced degrees in anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and nutrition.
• We participate in on-going training sessions to ensure we stay on top of the latest innovations in running shoes, nutrition, training and apparel.
• Our buyers search out, test and select the very best products for you.
• We are your one stop shop for everything you need from your shoes to your training schedule. We see running as a life-long endeavor and we want to help you in every level you reach.
• We provide a FREE biomechanical analysis to every customer so we can see what category of running shoe is right for you. We think about your needs as a runner, because we are all runners.
• We listen to you and solve the issues you encounter in your training to keep you running and happy.

As always, we profoundly appreciate the business our customers provide to us. We have a genuine interest in the running community and want to help those who are in it and  those who want to be in it.

We hope to see you in our stores shopping for your holiday gifts. We keep track of your purchases and those of your loved ones so if you aren’t sure of a size, style or color, we can surely look it up for you. Send the kids in and we will make sure they pick out the perfect gift for you this Christmas.  Free wrapping paper and supplies, as well!