Now tied with Michigan for the nation's highest unemployment rate, the Ocean State launched "Buy Local R.I.," an initiative to increase support for local businesses, last month.
"The economy in Rhode Island is struggling," Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts '78 said in a press release. "As we look at our economy turning down, we need to invest our dollars here in Rhode Island. One of the best things we can do is to support local businesses." Roberts serves as the chair of the Small Business Advocacy Council, which oversees the needs of the state's small businesses.
With the holiday season fast approaching, the initiative seeks to create public awareness of local stores and restaurants, and promote local shopping. After the holidays, the campaign will focus on creating a working group of local business owners and public officials. The group will "develop a network organization and a Web site dedicated to expanding the market for local businesses and products by connecting people to Rhode Island businesses," according to the press release.
"We know that Rhode Island is home to thousands of unique artists, artisans, retailers, manufacturers, cafes, restaurants, and farmers whose small businesses are locally owned and crucial to our neighborhoods, our quality of life, and Rhode Island's overall economy," Roberts said in the release.
As part of the initial stages of the program, Roberts will hold a number of "Main Street" events in various cities in the coming weeks. The first of these events was held Wednesday, Nov. 19 in Westerly, where Roberts toured local businesses in the downtown area.
"It's hard to keep downtowns thriving," said Carrie Baird, owner of a shoe store in Westerly who guided Roberts and others on the tour. "We have a lot of nice specialty stores in Westerly, and I want to make sure none are forgotten."
Baird said she and other local business owners plan to work on the design and implementation of the Web site, which will have a search feature allowing consumers to type in the name of a certain product and access a list of locally owned stores across the state.
"The response (to the initiative) from the local businesses was very positive," said Michael Tanaka, director of public and community relations for Roberts.
The local businesses in Westerly work well together, Tanaka said, adding that the tour held there was a model for how future "Main Street" events in places like Greenville, Wickford, Warren and Newport should look like. A similar event will be held at noon in downtown Providence on Dec. 4.
