North Side Rep. Honors Local First Chicago

Local businesses are the strengths of a community, according to U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley. 

The North Side representative endorsed shopping in the neighborhood this holiday season, and honored the nonprofit Local First Chicago on Nov. 30. 

"The impact that independent, locally-owned businesses have in our community comes as no surprise," he said. "The lasting economic, social and environmental outcomes are essential to the growth and sustainability of our neighborhoods."

Local First Chicago is a nonprofit organization that aims to educate residents and community groups about the impact of supporting local businesses. 

Created in 2005, Local First Chicago is the brainchild behind Unwrap Chicago, an incentive to shift a small portion of holiday spending to local stores. 

Several North Side neighborhoods, including Lincoln Square, Ravenswood and Bucktown and Wicker Park have launched their own unwrap campaigns. 

A 2004 study in Andersonville compared the amount of every dollar that goes back into the economy for both local and chain businesses.

Researchers found $68 out of every $100 spent in a local business went back into the Chicago economy. That’s compared to a chain store, where $43 of every $100 remained in the community.

Residents can also take a pledge to shift least $100 of their holiday shopping to a local business this winter. If every one of the 1,045,560 households in Chicago kept the pledge, more than $25 million would be shifted back into the economy, according to the study.

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