March 23, 2006

By Lauren Heaton

Whether it’s for the pride, the pace or the pure fun of living in a small community, those who consider themselves true Yellow Springers should come downtown next weekend, March 31–April 1, to participate in the launch of the Yellow Springs Buy Local Campaign.

In addition to Friday’s Art Stroll, organizers have booked theater performances and art projects, they’ve got scavenger hunts and a free movie, and they’ve lined up a community walk and a t-shirt booth.

As its name implies, the Buy Local Campaign is partly about supporting the Yellow Springs economy by purchasing goods in the village.

Judith Hempfling, one of the group’s leaders and a member of Village Council, said she recognizes that local residents won’t find all their needs in town. But the selection of products and services that small local business owners have to offer is broader than some might think, she said.

Before taking that trip to the mall, for instance, residents might first consider whether Yellow Springs could have what they need, campaign members said. Larger corporations and institutions could talk with local businesses about reduced costs for bulk orders, before making that big purchase order from their chain supplier. Such actions could help local commerce become more stable and, in particular, more sustainable, campaign members said.

“If you look out into the wider world, the sense of small community has been weakened, and Yellow Springs is being impacted, though we’ve maintained our sense of community much better than others,” Hempfling said. “It’s really about sustainability, and how do we sustain ourselves as a community.”

The goals of the Buy Local Campaign go beyond economics. There’s the positive environmental impact that comes from buying goods close to home, and the increased employment opportunities that arise from an area of healthy commerce, campaign members said.

But Hempfling said that at the heart of the effort is the love of the small community feeling and the desire to maintain an atmosphere that allows personal exchange between friends, neighbors and merchants in the course of one’s daily routine.

“For me, it’s a heart sense. You’re not just buying stuff, but you’re being fed as a whole person,” she said.

Much of that interpersonal exchange happens downtown. And downtown is where the Buy Local group will kick off its campaign on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1.

Art Stroll comes first on Friday from 6 to 10 p.m., when villagers can visit local galleries and stores and attend several art openings.

Saturday starts out with a family scavenger hunt, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to encourage participants to find things they didn’t know downtown offered. At 10 a.m., local resident Steven Conn will lead a smart growth walk called “Looking at the Downtown with Fresh Eyes.”

But it doesn’t end there. On Saturday afternoon, from 2 to 4, the Senior Center will host a children’s art event, and at 4, the Little Art Theatre will show a free movie, Independent America: The Two Lane Search for Mom and Pop.

Buy Local organizers will set up a booth in front of Sam & Eddie’s Open Books to sell t-shirts and bumper stickers with the Buy Local logo, and various dance groups and a YS Kids Playhouse troupe will perform in Kings Yard.

Organizers also encourage villagers to attend Antioch College’s Hip Hop Convergence, which is taking place on Saturday, and check out the WEB Coffeehouse performance on Saturday night in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church.

Ultimately, Buy Local Campaign organizers say they hope to form a membership group of individuals, merchants, businesses and organizations that can continue to meet monthly and to organize future events that support sustaining Yellow Springs.

A group including business owners Mary Alice Wilson, Priscilla Moore, Kathy McLemore, Bob Hasek and Tom Gray and local residents Megan Quinn, Don Hollister and Hempfling has been meeting weekly to plan the weekend’s events.

“Showing appreciation toward local businesses and merchants in the community energizes everybody,” Hempfling said. “When there’s increased energy, there’s increased creative thinking going on. It’s exciting and it’s contagious.”

Contact: lheaton@ysnews.com