Event in Troy will showcase area’s businesses and goods
For many, the idea of buying local brings along with it the idea of giving up convenience, paying more and parting with established ways.
Those who think so would be well advised to look into Capital District Local First’s Buy Local Bash, which will be held in Troy later this month. There, the many locally owned businesses, local artists and local growers will have goods and information to showcase the area’s diverse options when it comes to buying local.
Although this will be the fourth year the group has held the event, it will be the first it coincides with an event like Troy Night Out, which President Melanie Beam thinks will greatly increase interest and turnout.
`It’s a great event that focuses on that community and getting people to come downtown during the evening,` she said of Troy Night Out.
Last year, more than 200 attendees and about 50 vendors showed up to the Buy Local Bash. Vendors will be selling everything from food to jewelry to clothing, and local services providers will also be on hand.
Also new this year, live music will be provided by artists from the Troy-based record label Collar City Records.
Capital District Local First is part of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, a group that strives to highlight the benefits of buying local, noting that dollars spent at local businesses are prone to stay in the area. Products produced locally also don’t have to be shipped long distances.
`That leads to better environmental quality for every involved, social justice, and a more sustainable community,` Beam said. It’s a way we can create an economic stimulus in our region.`
Many people today are aware of the benefits of buying local due to the explosion of farmers markets throughout the area, but what consumers might not realize is that a buy local mentality extends beyond the kitchen to local shops, artisans, contractors and even manufacturers.
`The BALLE, that movement is really about creating a sustainable local economy, and there’s a lot more to that than just food,` Beam said. `There’s definitely increased awareness, but businesses themselves are trying to align themselves more and show they are locally owned and independent.`
One business that has been at several previous bashes is Aunt Katie’s Attic, a Scotia store specializing in vintage merchandise, especially kitchenware. Owner Kate Halasz finds interesting and useful items locally, be they from markets, auctions or friends, spruces them up and resells them.
Her business is at its heart a local affair.
`We save things from the trash, and we help our local businesses out,` she said. `It’s nice to have a shop that thinks about people who live locally and work locally, and takes into consideration their income and the economy.`
Halasz said she makes it a point to shop local herself, and has space in her shop for art and other wares from local sellers. The Buy Local Bash is a great way to make these local connections, she said, especially when local businesses can be drowned out by the larger market.
`It was an excellent networking tool,` she said. `I met a lot of really great people locally, and I’ve kept in touch with them since then.`
Capital District Local First can be found on the Web at www.capitaldistrictlocalfirst.org. The group has about 150 members and covers the four counties of the Capital District.
The Buy Local Bash will be held Oct. 29, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Troy Atrium on River Street in Troy. There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door. Vendor space is $25 for members, and complimentary with a new membership.
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