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QUIK AUTO REPAIR Now! CAA Approved Repair Shop We specialize in General Repairs, Tires, Brakes, Tune-Ups, etc. 905 877 8220 354 Guelph St., Unit 21 Serving Halton Hills for 23 years 10% OFF Labour for CAA Members RUST CONTROL Featuring Special pullout section Friday, October 3, 2008 4 Pages www.independentfreepress.com Shop Beautiful Downtown Georgetown Pages 2 & 3 Do you know ten reasons to shop local? Page 1 I SHOP LOCAL Halton Hills Community Newspaper 1. Local shops sell a wide range of great products at affordable prices. Many people get out of the habit of shopping locally & are then surprised by the range of products and gifts available. 2. Shopping local saves you money. Out of town shops have done a good job of convincing us all that sole traders = expensive, but the evidence just isnt there to back this up . If you add in travel, parking costs, fees to transport larger items home and your time, the overall cost is often much higher. 3. Shopping locally retains our com- munities. People dont like losing shops and services in small towns and villages but dont equate this to how they spend their money. Shops will only survive if customers spend locally so if you want a vibrant town centre, where people can socialise as well as shop, shop locally. 4. Shopping local retains our dis- tinctiveness no clone towns allowed! Independent shops create distinctive shopping experiences and stock differ- ent products. They respond more quickly to the needs of local cus- tomers, stocking products to meet the changing population needs. They can also be more innovative. 5. Shopping local saves the environ- ment. We are all aware of CO2 emis- sions and our environmental impact. Local shops do not require long car & bus journeys to get to, help reduce our global footprint. 6. Shopping local creates jobs. Shops in our town centres and villages create local employment and selfem- ployment. These people in turn spend in the local economy. 7. Local independent shops invest more in our communities. Sole traders and independent stores are propor- tionally more generous in their sup- port for local charities, carnivals, schools and community events. So supporting local shops means a finan- cial return for our community 8. Local shops are for everyone. Most people can get to their local shops easily and this is especially important for elderly, vulnerable and young people and those without trans- port. Keeping your shops open by buying locally helps the whole com- munity. 9. Local shops value you more. Evidence from numerous surveys shows people receive better customer care and service in local shops. Traders survive by their reputation and repeat business - so shopping local means that you get a higher standard of ser- vice. 10. Shopping local saves services. Private, voluntary and public sector services cluster around shops. The loss of the high street often corresponds to a reduction in these services. As shops disappear, so do hairdressers, vets, dentists etc. SO shop smart, shop local. 10 reasons to shop local