By Mary C. Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville

Nov. 30, 2016:  This past Saturday was "small business" Saturday, initiated by the American Express Company to offer incentives to shop small and local on that particular day.

However, the social and economic facts prove that it is a "bargain" to shop in one's hometown small stores every day. The beneficial nexus is clear:

• Small businesses generate local sales tax revenue that is a vital component of every community's budget. If we lost that one revenue line in the Bronxville budget and all other line items remained flat, your village taxes would have risen 12 percentage points last year!

• For every dollar spent in a locally owned independent store, $68 returns to the community. This occurs because of the multiplier effect as small businesses hire local accountants, architects, computer specialists, sign makers, attorneys, and others. Local merchants often even buy ancillary supplies from each other.

• If the same item is purchased at a chain or a mall store, less than $40 returns "home." The reason being, chain stores often bypass local service providers, preferring to have everything handled homogeneously through "headquarters." Thus, the local accounting firm doesn't have a chance to even pitch business. And if all of one's shopping is done on the Internet, nothing flows back to the community where the package was delivered. 

To play out an all-too-possible scenario as Internet sales increase significantly on a yearly basis and mom and pop stores close at an alarming rate, if our small downtown shuttered, there would be an immediate 12 to 15 percent tax increase and/or such a drastic cut in municipal services that quality of life in the village would be severely affected. Home values would decrease because of their location so close to a non-thriving business district. Home prices are directly related to the nearby amenities offered in the surrounding area, be they attractive gift shops, movie theaters, exercise studios, or small restaurants.

No one's home is increased in value by living near a thriving Costco.

I believe in my core that each time you spend a retail dollar, you must weigh the full value of your choice, not the immediate financial "deal"/benefit, but rather look to the future and what you want for the sustainability of your hometown.

The disappearance of local businesses leaves a social and economic void that is palpable and real--even if unmeasured by an index. The quality of life of a community will change more quickly and negatively than any economic indicator can translate.

A small business district is a treasure--a glue that defines a community--a place where seniors and strollers meet.

Small-town businesses not only provide convenient access, they save on fuel and ancillary costs, encourage a walking environment, and foster a human connection often lost between a merchant and customer, and local merchants support the local community with raffle donations, prizes, gift certificates.

Important to note, when was the last time a donated prize at St. Joe's events, The Bronxville School, or the Junior League was from Amazon.com or Costco?

Not only does a purchase made in our village deliver a much-deserved message of appreciation to our merchants for their sustained local generosity, but our stores offer unique, personalized gifts that are often delivered, wrapped, and explained in detail and are able to be returned. Small stores also buy from other small start-up manufacturers whose unique products are not produced on a scale mass enough to be a part of a national sales plan for a chain or big-box store.

Net-net, a purchase in the village sends money directly back to our public school and our village government via the significant share of the tax burden our small businesses shoulder, even though they do not use the school or many municipal services, most notably garbage collection services, as they have their garbage collected privately versus village labor.

Bronxville shop owners are vested in our community and the unique ambiance/vibe they provide, and the pleasing window displays that grace our downtown will remain a permanent attribute of our village only if we walk in and support the merchant inside. As is borne out economically and socially, a purchase made in the village is the ultimate long-term "bargain."