Monday, May 20, 2013
IQ: Local flavor
by Bob Campbell
It was almost too easy: a notebook page full of questions about buying local, and a farmers market full of sun-drenched shoppers, last Saturday morning in Old Colorado City.
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Karlin Erk
Cheyenne Meadows
Veterinarian
How much attention do you pay to local products? I'd rather support local guys than buy things that have been shipped a thousand miles. Especially produce — you know where it's coming from buying local.
Are you willing to pay more for a product if it's local? I am. I don't want to pick on Walmart, they're a good store, but I hate to buy there, even if it costs less. I'd rather buy locally.
What's your view of big-box stores trying to pass their goods off as local? I guess you can't blame them. Everyone's trying to make it in this economy. Walmart and I have very different definitions of "local," though.
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Eric Jewett
Cordera
Commercial roofer
Do you pay attention to local products? I do, more and more. I've been reading Joel Salatin about organic farming, and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, so I'm a lot more aware of those kinds of things.
Are you willing to pay more for a product that's local? Mostly, but it takes a change in buying habits. The part of town we live in is all big-box stores, so we have to drive a bit to buy local.
What's so great about buying local? I come from a small Illinois town of 5,000 where every day you saw the value of supporting local farmers and businesses. The little grocery store I worked in there had a community feel. You knew your customers, they knew you.
Is there a business you patronize because it's local? The Agia Sophia coffee shop and bookstore.
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Cathy Schwab
Old Colorado City
Teacher
Do you go out of your way to buy local? I like to support the underdog, so I'll often shop at neighborhood places like Mountain Mama instead of giant chains like Walmart.
Name a now-gone local business that you miss. Roger's Bar in Old Colorado City. It was individually owned, a great place. I miss it a lot.
What's so good about buying local? Local businesses are more homey. They give better service.
— Bob Campbell
