I went to Jamaica Plain nearby Showa Boston Institute on February 23. An organization managed by the director, Ginger, helps small businesses in Jamaica Plain. She told us about their businesses and how these small shops contribute to the local Neighborhood.
Support Local and Environment
Many shops in JP support local and environment in many ways.
@ Blue Frog Bakery
Ginger’s husband runs this store. This bakery is particular about buying its ingredients from local stores. And he hires people from the local community as his employees.
@ City Feed and Supply “BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL”
This store sells local goods and fair-trade products. And there is a fridge; it is called a community refrigerator. This refrigerator allows people to donate food that they won’t eat and share it with others who need it. In addition, this store composts garbage also working to be more environmentally friendly.
I learned shopping locally helps not only the local economy also the environment. One reason is it helps reduce CO2 emissions. I was interested in the connection to global warming, which I have been researching.
Small community but Strong connection
I asked how you got her to incorporate so many JP stores into the organization? She told me becoming friends with many store owners was key to success, and now she has become most of them. I felt that the community’s small size made it a wonderful place for people to connect and support each other.
Through this field trip, I reconsidered my past actions related to shopping. I have often shopped online and at major chain stores. However, keeping business is difficult for small shops compared with major stores. For this reason, I wanted to BUY LOCALLY from now on actively.
Yumi Kita