What are the advantages of having mostly local merchants operating businesses in a community?
Essentially, while we are saving a few bucks by shopping and eating in national chains, we are our destroying the local economy. For a community to prosper there must be a reasonable ratio of local vs. outside businesses. El Paso has few local merchants and mostly national chains. The only area of El Paso that has mostly local merchants is downtown. By bringing national chains to compete with them, we will run them out of business, further damaging our economy. Money spent locally will circulate in our community longer. Local merchants will buy cars and homes in El Paso. They will buy clothes and food in El Paso. They will raise kids here and will stimulate the local economy. Money spent in a national chain is deposited directly into their own banksnot located in El Paso. These national chains will divest from El Paso.
