Supporting Your Local Community

This weekend is Comfest in Columbus (www.comfest.com), which got me thinking about communities and how we support them. Comfest started in 1972 and continues to be a completely volunteer-driven festival in Goodale Park. It is a great opportunity to think about our local communities and the choices we make every day in them. I have the honor of living in Victorian Village, which is a great neighborhood that sits between Ohio State and Downtown Columbus and it means that we can walk or bike to just about anything. It also borders the Short North, which is full of shops, restaurants and resources, many of which I have not even tried yet. There is so much talk about buying local and supporting small businesses that I started wondering - shouldn't we support robust community activity and business in our neighborhoods, even if they are not all small businesses? When businesses come into communities, they encourage growth and vibrant neighborhoods and that includes businesses that may not be small or independent. I think that if we are really thinking local, we should support those businesses that are making our local neighborhoods vibrant, even if some of them are corporations or big businesses. Next time you think about grocery shopping or picking up something for home, ask yourself how far from home do I have to go?