If you had a choice between buying a product to help your local community, or buying one that would send money overseas, which would you choose? If prices were comparable, we venture to guess many people would choose the local option.

Supporting local businesses is important and has many benefits to you, your community and the overall economy. Here are just a few things to think about when considering a locally owned and operated business vs. another option:

Working with local businesses helps the economy

One major benefit to buying from a local manufacturer when choosing your kitchen and bath remodeling products is the direct impact is has on the economy and your community. Local businesses provide jobs for people in your area (for instance, Brakur alone employs nearly 100 people in the community and supports other local businesses by purchasing all raw materials from suppliers in the Chicago area). When businesses in your community band together, that means more jobs and more money staying local. And while many people think buying products at a large chain store in the area does the same, but most of these chains ship their profits out of town and don’t feel a sense of ownership in the local community. Supporting local entrepreneurs fuels the economy – and we all know that’s something needed these days.

Another way you help the economy by supporting local businesses is through sales tax on goods purchased locally – which supports the local community and county, and aids in fixing local roads, recreational facilities, payment of police officers, fire fighters and more.

Short lead time and quicker fixes

Here’s where you will directly benefit. If you choose to work with local businesses to buy cabinets (or other pieces of your remodel), you won’t have to worry about a long drawn out process. Those of us who don’t outsource, have more direct communication with everyone involved in your project. We don’t have to wait for answers, we have them already.

If any pieces should need to be reordered, locally owned and operated businesses will have faster turnaround times on quality projects. You won’t have to search for the right phone number and get passed around by countless outsourced customer service agents who don’t care about your problem because it in no way effects them directly (many of them live in another country, after all). Local businesses know that they depend on you and your referrals for survival, so they’ll do everything in their power to make sure you’re satisfied as quickly as possible.

You’re working with humans

When you buy from a local “Mom & Pop” business, you are not helping a CEO buy a 3rd vacation home. You are helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy get his team jersey, a mom or dad put food on the table, a family pay for a mortgage, or a student pay for college.

At Brakur, our customers are our shareholders, and they’re the ones we strive to make happy.