As recent DM conversations attest, it’s tough to say, “Support local business” without being accused of being an elitist more concerned with fads than with the plight of the working poor.

Of course it’s not that simple. The value of supporting your neighbors and keeping money in your own community is, historically, neither a fad nor a dalliance of the affluent. Rather, it’s been a cornerstone of survival for the working class.

Exhibit A: This catchy tune from the Reverend J.M. Gates, a 20s-era African American preacher from right here in the ATL.

What a toe-tapper! I don’t think there’s a single thing I don’t love about it, because it shows that promoting local has very little to do with elitism or trendy hipsters and almost everything to do with the basic human values of community building and survival. In short, money spent in one’s own community is like Karma. It comes back to you in other ways.

Or, in the parlance of Decatur, it’s an investment in both economic sustainability and social sustainability.

Being pro-local is not the same thing as being anti-affordable goods. It’s not an either/or proposition, especially in an urban context like Decatur’s. It’s simply an acknowledgment that, when times turn tough, chain retail (which, in our modern world, most often occupies a big box) has no allegiance to you. Your neighbors, on the other hand, do. There’s nothing wrong with doing what we can to keep those connections strong, even when our present reality makes big box shopping a necessity for a whole lot of people.

A trip to Walmart or Target is an acknowledgement of the present. Some money spent with Decatur businesses is an investment in the future. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason we can’t allow people the freedom to do both if they’re so inclined.

Decatur Square, Decatur GA (pic submitted by Mermaid)