Over recent months and in the months before the Covid crisis, I wondered about the real advantages of buying locally. Considering my concern for the survival of our main street, the rue de Saint-Jovite, I pondered the following questions: do I have enough choice in Mont-Tremblant and are the prices competitive?

 After having made the rounds of the large stores farther south, my wife and I soon became aware that we had everything to gain in buying locally. We found the same quality of products at the same price! The promotions by the big manufacturers are the same here as they are in Montreal or Vancouver.

Before considering making the round trip to Sainte-Agathe-des Monts, Saint-Jérôme or Laval, it’s a good idea to check whether one of our local businesses is offering what we seek. Whether it’s a swimming pool, fine cheeses, a recreational vehicle, books, appliances, gardening products, jewellery or even exclusive products made in limited quantities, the Mont-Tremblant retailers have a great deal to offer.

Let’s stop a minute and think  

Among our five local grocers, you’ll find promotions almost every week that are very competitive with the Walmarts and Costcos of this world. When you consider the membership fee at that big box store, the cost of gas, the vehicle wear and tear and the time to get there and back, is it really worth the trouble? There are a number of other factors as well that prompt us to buy locally.

A $100 purchase made here generates $68 in spin-offs in our local economy. We thus contribute to the creation of local jobs and participate in reducing the burning of fossil fuels. A community mobilized by local buying becomes more resilient and more able to successfully navigate challenges like the one we’re currently experiencing.

Our shop people have their role to play

That being said, our wish to buy here and the effort we make to do so must be equaled by the desire of our retailers to welcome us properly, and without applying any undue pressure on purchasers.

A smile, visual contact and a sincere greeting are the minimum. Our retailers must remind themselves that it costs much less to keep a regular client than to acquire a new one.

The future of our main street and our business community will play out over the coming months. Their survival will be due to residents who constantly evaluate and encourage local businesses.

Our municipal council should develop and communicate a progressive and structured commercial strategy for the long term. How should the offer on rue the Saint-Jovite be diversified? How can we support our young entrepreneurs?

We must innovate

Is it time to establish an ecosystem of entrepreneurship that supports our young retailing graduates in their business adventures right here in Mont-Tremblant? Where are our businesspeople and owners of commercial properties who have been successful and would be ready to contribute to the future commercial success of Mont-Tremblant?

We have all been tested over the past months. Let’s support our businesspeople and protect our jobs and our main street by buying local. Don’t forget that the travelers who will visit us once more also want to have a unique, human experience. They want to know our historic, social and cultural makeup.

Lastly, a town without a main street and independent businesspeople is a town without a soul.

Happy local buying!

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