Bluffton, Indiana
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A number of months ago, I came across a dollar bill that had “www.wheresgeorge.com” written on it in red ink. Curiosity necessitated a closer look.
It’s an interesting little exercise: enter the serial number of the dollar bill you have at the Web site, and you can see where it’s been. You are encouraged to log in your location and then spend it again.
This particular dollar bill was originally registered in Oklahoma a couple years ago and had made stops in several other states before making its way to Bluffton, Indiana.
It would be quite instructional, it occurred to us, to take two $1 bills, write the Web site address on them and then spend one here in Bluffton and one in Fort Wayne. Have not yet accomplished that idea, and if I had any kind of assurance (or real hope) that people would actually log in and register each stop, I would be more likely to give it a shot.
It would be done to prove a study we’ve seen more than once, that a dollar spent in a community, on average, makes seven stops before it leaves.
That’s the point, you see, of this weekend’s Bluffton Holiday Open House. The more we can encourage doing your Christmas shopping locally, the more times those dollars benefit us all.
A dollar spent at, let’s say, Daniel’s Jewelers in downtown Bluffton might be used to pay one of Dan’s employees. The worker might stop out at El Camino Real for a bite to eat, and leave a $1 tip for the waitress.
She in turn takes that dollar to Heyerly’s Market for part of her family’s weekly shopping. That income enables Shawn Imbody to pay his local property taxes, which supports the police (among other things), paying salaries and protecting our community.
The police officer then is able to stop at Gerber Interior Designs, perhaps, for a Christmas gift. And they are likewise able to pay their employee or make one of dozens of contributions to local groups, such as the United Way campaign. That could conceivably go on forever.
Meanwhile, a dollar spent at Jefferson Pointe, Glenbrook Mall or the Muncie Mall makes its rounds in that community, perhaps never to benefit a Bluffton family or the Bluffton tax base again.
And the importance of shopping locally is never more true than in the tougher economic times.
Every local dollar, every local job, every local non-profit effort benefits every Wells County citizen.
And the importance of shopping locally as much as possible is not limited to just this weekend. Get out and about. See what all is available right close to your home. You may be surprised. And you’ll save some gas, you’ll most likely save some money, and your dollars will continue their circulation within the community.
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