Buy Local!

Most Vermonters understand that buying local products is a wonderful thing to do.  However, the availability of a seemingly limitless array of products on the Internet, and at the increasing number of “big box” stores appearing across the Vermont landscape, has changed how many Vermonters shop.  Locally-owned businesses are finding it difficult to compete with international companies that have access to cheap labor, production, and shipping.  In recent years, Vermonters are realizing that buying local supports their neighbors, strengthens their local economy and enhances the social and economic connections in their community.  They are keeping their dollars local.  But it doesn't stop there.  When businesses use the services of other local businesses, your dollars continue to circulate in your community, multiplying the value of that dollar spent.  The next time you need to buy something, ask yourself if you can buy it from a Vermont business.

What You Can Do

  • Buy Local! Look for the “Seal of Quality” issued by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture on a range of products around the state.
  • Ask storekeepers and restaurant owners in your neighborhood if they sell local products.
  • Visit farmers’ markets throughout the state; even during the winter!
  • When looking for products, see if they are available at locally-owned stores in your community.
  • If a big box store is proposed in or near your community, attend public meetings and make your voice heard!  Ask local officials for any information they have relating to the proposal, including permit applications.

Vermonters Taking Action

"Vermonters can keep local businesses alive by getting involved in their communities; their schools, churches, and town centers. Know your neighbors and what they do for a living." -Mary Ellen Richards, Deli Manager, Underhill Country Store, Underhill

The Underhill Country Store has been family owned and operated for over twenty years.  It's a common pit-stop for Vermonters and tourists on their way to ski resorts or hiking trails on Mt. Mansfield. The store features a variety of local products like eggs, dairy, meats, and baked goods. Sitting across from the town's church and adjacent to a park, this country store mimics the traditional pattern of development in Vermont towns with its heartfelt center.

Resources You Can Use

  • Buy Local:  Offers listings of where to buy Vermont food and farm products year round.  They also sell cool stickers and have a comprehensive list of the Vermont Produce Harvest Calendar so you know when to buy your favorite produce.
  • Local First Vermont: This nonprofit’s goal is to promote purchasing from locally owned businesses to preserve the economic vitality and character of Vermont.  They have a growing list of locally owned businesses all over the state.
  • Vermont Fresh Network: Focused on building innovative relationships between farmers, chefs, and consumers to bring awareness to local food consumption in Vermont.
  • Vermont Wood Network: A nonprofit dedicated to strengthening business opportunities for small-scale ‘Vermont-Made’ wood producers and “to foster a commitment to the sustainability of forest resources”.
  • Burlington Business Association: Offers networking, marketing, and advocacy to its business and nonprofit members and is committed to the economic vitality of the Burlington, Vermont area.
  • Richmond Area Business Association: “Provides support, structure, and a unified voice for the area businesses, with a focus on making a positive contribution to the local community.”
  • U.S. Small Business Administration: As an agency of the federal government, the SBA assists and protects small business concerns nation-wide and with a local office in Vermont.
  • Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores: This site provides detailed information on Independently owned country stores throughout Vermont, including lists of products and services offered, and store locations.