The ripples of retail can be felt in the littlest of boxes

The retail apocalypse is coming.

Every day, we hear new stories of yet another major retailer pulling back or shuttering their doors. It’s happening at breakneck speeds.

It’s no secret as to why. The massive increase in online shopping is wreaking havoc on traditional brick and mortar stores. Direct to consumer is no longer a trend that can be ignored as that, just a trend.

But is it really a surprise?

This drastic change in consumer behavior has been heralded since the dawn of commerce on the internet. What’s changed is that it is finally coming to pass. And it is a huge shift in the way consumer spending habits continue to shift and evolve.

It’s like a plot from a movie. We all know has a bad ending, yet there is nothing we can do to help the central characters. We sit back and shed a tear, and then order more popcorn using our Amazon Prime account — extra butter is dabbled on using Prime.

But what if there is a way to help those central characters? What if the movie is more of a cult classic with little known actors — as opposed to the big names and budgets. And what if, when it wins awards, we all feel a little better since we played a part in their success?

There is one such story and it has played out in Portland since 2011.

Little Boxes was founded through a community focused vision by the wife and husband team of Will Cervarich and Betsy Cross, the owners of local boutique and jewelry maker betsy and iya. It was designed as a fun way to explore the amazing number of local retailers and boutiques around Portland during Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

Today, Little Boxes has grown into a movement that gives holiday shoppers an excuse to visit new neighborhoods and connect to the community on a deeper level through conversations with local business owners. They can engage with the proprietors, face to face. They can chat about the neighborhood, the products in the stores, the stories of the products on the shelves, and the people who made them.

And it’s on those shelves and tables where the true impact of the program can be ultimately felt.The retailers and shops that participate in the Little Boxes program provide opportunities for a diverse and broad mix of companies. Companies that range from a local artisan jewelry maker to a small batch food manufacturer.

Each little purchases crates an incredible multiplier effect that begins to take hold and shape. One does not need to buy bagfuls of local products to play a part. Buying locally made chocolate at one store, some soap at another, and a hat at yet another creates a series of ripples of support to the retailers, makers, and ultimately the communities where we live.

It allows the owners of these shops to hire local help and continue to stay in business. And by staying in business, create additional pathways to retail for local makers.

• Your purchase may allow the chocolatier to pay for their child’s music classes.
• Your soap purchase may help pay for a local artisan’s continuing education.
• Your hat purchase will provide income that allows them to turn around and buy a coffee from a local shop.

Each purchase is a new stone cast into the local economy’s water. This is why there is a 3X increase in the recirculation of revenue when you shop at independent stores as opposed to big box retailers.

And beyond the important aspects of financial impact, there is the multiplier effect of awareness. You buy that awesome hat and share the purchase on social media, where your 500 friends become aware of this incredible local brand. And just maybe, your purchase spurs a few others to buy products from that local maker, allowing them to hire more local help.

Stone by stone. Ripple by ripple. Eventually there is a larger tide that’s created beyond the headlines of the demise of retail. A tide that is filled with stories of products made by our neighbors and community members. One that creates a connection to products beyond the price tag.

By participating in the Little Boxes program during the kickoff to the holiday shopping season—Friday, November 23rd through Sunday, November 25th, 2018—we are all given the opportunity to play our part. Plus it’s just fun. Oh, and did we mention there are amazing raffle prizes you can win?

Little Boxes is now a part of Built Oregon, a not-for-profit focused on helping consumer goods in Oregon, because we saw the incredible foundation Will and Betsy created, and realized there is a future opportunity to increase the awareness and impact beyond just a few days, and beyond Portland. It’s something we as an organization are passionate about as we realize how important it is from an economic development perspective.

On another note, shopping local is more than just about avoiding the big box retailers in the city. In full disclosure, I shop at them from time to time. But many of those big box retailers carry Oregon based products as well — products that provide jobs for many Oregonians. You can still, in many ways, support local by looking for Oregon based products whenever you shop, and whatever platform you choose to use.

So this holiday season, toss your stone of influence, download our Little Boxes app, and support into the registers (ok, Square swipes, but you get the gist) of your local retailers on this Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and the following Sunday. And, in so doing, help us create the ripples that will have the biggest impacts through the smallest of purchases.

For more information and to keep up to date on all the happenings at Built Oregon, visit www.builtoregon.com and follow us on twitter and instagram.