The Local Foundation

Local businesses are not a niche. They are not a nostalgia play. They are not dying. They are the foundation of community in America. And the numbers prove it.

1. Local businesses keep money where it belongs

When you spend a dollar at a local business, more of it stays in your community. Research commissioned by American Express found that 67 cents of every dollar spent at a small business stays local, compared with just 43 cents at a chain store. ¹

That gap compounds quickly. Local business owners pay local wages, buy from other local vendors, pay rent to local landlords, and donate to local causes. Every dollar recirculates. Every purchase multiplies.

When money leaves town, it’s gone. When it stays, it builds something.

2. Local businesses build the community around you

83% of Americans agree that shopping local strengthens their community. ² That instinct is backed by hard evidence.

Small businesses have created two out of every three net new jobs in the United States over the past 25 years, according to the SBA. ³ They are often the first to sponsor the Little League team, fund the school auction, and show up when a neighbor needs help. According to SCORE, small businesses donate 250% more to local nonprofits and community causes than large corporations. ⁴

They don’t just operate in communities. They create them.

3. Local businesses make your town worth living in

There is something a chain store cannot manufacture: the feeling of a place that belongs to the people in it.

Local businesses give neighborhoods their identity. They create gathering spots, support local culture, and attract the kind of foot traffic that makes a street feel alive. Research suggests that neighborhoods with thriving independent businesses can see home values outperform those of their broader cities by as much as 50%. ⁵

That is not a small thing. It is the difference between a place people want to live and a place they leave.

The anti/corporate point of view

We are pro-local because local businesses make America stronger.

Local businesses are the engine of job creation, the backbone of community giving, and the reason towns feel like home rather than a collection of chain stores and parking lots.

anti/corporate exists to give local businesses the tools, community, and confidence to keep winning. When local businesses thrive, everyone does.

Sources:

¹ American Express Small Business Economic Impact Study, 2018
² anti/corporate pro local. 2026; online survey, n=1,100 U.S. adults
³ U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, 1995–2021
⁴ SCORE, Small Business Charitable Giving Impact Report
⁵ Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Independent Business Studies