The strength of a local economy is measured not in grand gestures, but in thoughtful everyday decisions.

Shopping local is not simply an act of goodwill; it is a vital economic driver that powers Windsor's future. When a business district thrives, property values rise, talent pipelines deepen, governments unlock funding for new projects, and tourism follows. The evidence is compelling: according to the American Independent Business Alliance, for every $100 spent at a local business, approximately $68 returns to the local economy compared to just $43 when spent elsewhere. The Small Business Administration (SBA) reinforces this further, noting that small businesses have generated 12.9 million net new jobs over the past 25 years, accounting for two out of every three jobs added to the U.S. economy. In a town where 67.8% of all establishments employ between 1 and 9 people, these numbers aren't abstract. They reflect your neighbors, Main Street, and the fabric of what makes Windsor home.

And that $68 does not simply stay local; it keeps moving, circulating through other Windsor businesses and strengthening our town’s economy and culture with each transaction.

This is the multiplier effect. It occurs when dollars spent at locally owned, independent businesses stay within the community rather than leaking to chain stores or online retailers, generating more local wealth, charitable contributions, and jobs along the way. As local economist Michael Shuman explains, spending at a local retail store sets off a chain reaction: employees get paid through local dollars, use their salaries to shop at nearby grocers, those grocers buy from local farmers, and so on. The more times a dollar changes hands within a community without leaking out, the more income, wealth, and jobs that community retains.

This Summer, we are inviting every Windsor resident to choose local first. Explore the businesses that line our streets, support the entrepreneurs who call Windsor home, and be part of a community that invests in itself. Every purchase is a decision about the kind of town Windsor becomes. Make it count. Keep it Local. Keep it Windsor.