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18 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday November 15, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Support your local businesses - keep Oakville vibrant! By Shannon Mastaler OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Since 1959 Every time you make a purchase within Oakville, you are strengthening your community. It's like a domino effect; keeping your hard-earned money within the community leads to vibrancy and growth, while choosing to spend elsewhere can lead to economic hardship and diminish the charm we all have come to love and expect from Oakville. With the Canadian dollar continuing to climb above the U.S. dollar, many Oakville residents have been tempted to take the drive and shop across the border. But what is this decision doing to the future of Oakville and the businesses and retailers of our community? Are we really saving when we shop across the border? Keeping money within Oakville enables local business to give back to the community. These businesses create jobs for our neighbours and children, they support not-for-profit organizations that help keep our community healthy they support other local companies and create important business relationships. The arts and culture community thrives because of support that comes from companies within Oakville, and if your child is involved in a sports league or organization, they are probably supported and funded by a local retailer. The Oakville Chamber of Commerce plays an active role in helping grow local businesses and keep them successful within our community. "Shopping locally is a very important issue on many levels," explains John Sawyer, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. "It is an economic, social and environmental concern." "We are very proud of Oakville's quality of life, but it has to be paid for. Businesses pay double the tax that residents pay. The residential tax base does not cover the cost of Oakville to be the Oakville we love," says Sawyer. "Not only do businesses pay double the tax, but they use far fewer services than residents. It is the businesses that pay to help make Oakville what it is today." With the environment being a very important concern for many Oakville residents, driving 90 minutes to the U.S. and idling your car for hours at the border does not help this global issue. "People are also very concerned about gridlock on the on roads, well, let's keep shopping local and keep cars off the roads!" says Sawyer. "Oakville offers residents really great places to shop locally, there's the downtown core, Bronte Village, Kerr Street Village and the reconstructed Hopedale Mall and Oakville Place." Design, Staging & Construction 3235 Fairview St. Home Accent Pieces 905-639-7106 www.plumbingmart.ca Oakville's Answer to What Not to Wear K WATCH US FASHIONS "We're excited to see women leave more confident in the clothes they know make them look and feel really great about themselves," said Karen. Karen & Kim Watch Us Fashions now carries "Not Your Daughter's Jeans" which according to both "Oprah" and "Marilyn Dennis" of City Line, are the most phenominal line of jeans ever made. Every woman should have at least one pair of these incredibly comfortable and sexy jeans in their closet. They actually lift your butt, flatten your tummy, and make you look a size smaller. Oakville's Fashion Experts Joseph Ribkoff Watch Us Fashions also carries Tribal Sportswear, ConradC, Nueva and CYC. This fall a full line of Petite Clothing has been introduced at the store. Watch Us Fashions 1131 Nottinghill Gate (Glen Abbey) 905-827-2271