SUPPORTING LOCAL IS MORE THAN A HASHTAG

Sometimes living on a small island makes you think you know everything that’s going on. Then someone asks, “Are you going to that event this weekend?” and your response is, “What event?” We’ve all been there.There is almost always something happening somewhere around Kauaʻi. Between farmers markets, craft fairs, art nights, live music, festivals, fundraisers, pop-ups and community gatherings, there are plenty of things happening that we somehow don’t hear about until afterward.

When people say “support local,” it can start sounding like a slogan because we hear it so often. But when you stop and think about what those two little words actually mean, there’s a whole lot behind them. Behind every local booth, food truck, farm stand and little storefront is an actual person. There might be someone who got up at 4:00 in the morning to bake what they’re selling. Someone may have spent days making those earrings by hand. A farmer planted something months ago, cared for it every day and is finally able to bring it to market. A family might have spent the evening before packing a truck so they could wake up early, drive across the island and have their booth ready before everyone arrived. Maybe somebody is standing behind that table wondering if today a good sales day will be. Maybe they’re hoping enough people stop by to make all those hours of preparation worth it. That’s what you’re supporting when you choose local.

And on an island, those dollars have a funny way of traveling around. One small business buys ingredients or supplies from another local business. That business employs someone who spends money at another local shop. A restaurant buys produce from a Kauaʻi farmer. A visitor discovers a local maker, takes something home and tells their friends about it. One purchase can travel a lot farther than we realize. It all connects. We know firsthand how much it means when someone chooses a small local business when they could have gone somewhere else. Every time someone walks through our door at The Right Slice, picks up a pie, recommends us to a friend, brings visiting family members in, leaves a kind review or tells someone, “You need to stop there while you’re on Kauaʻi,” it matters. Probably more than most customers realize. We know we’re not the only small business that feels that way. There are so many people across Kauaʻi working long hours, taking chances, creating something of their own and hoping the community will support what they’re doing.

So here’s something we’d love for everyone to try this September: visit one Kauaʻi business you’ve never visited before. It could be a restaurant, a farm stand, a little store you’ve driven past a hundred times, a booth at a farmers market, a food truck or a local artist or maker. Walk in, say hello and look around. Try something. Buy something if you can. You never know you might discover a place you wish you had visited years ago. And if you love it, tell somebody else about it. Post a picture, tag the business, leave them a review, bring a friend next time or simply tell someone, “You HAVE to go try this place.” Sometimes that one sentence is the best advertising a small business could ever receive. Wouldn’t it be fun if, by the end of September, we all discovered one new favorite place right here on Kauaʻi?