Island Businesses Encouraging Residents To Buy Local

DEER ISLE (NEWS CENTER) -- People on Deer Isle said a campaign to get residents to shop on the island is working.

The Deer Isle-Stonington Chamber of Commerce has been working on a "Buy Local" campaign for two years. Along with posters and shopping bags encouraging people to buy local, the Chamber holds open houses for various local businesses during the holidays. They also work with the local newspaper to run reduced-cost advertising on certain days during the year.

While the Chamber doesn't have sales numbers on every business on the island, Chamber Of Commerce President Christina Schipps said it has helped her own small business.

"I produce a local brand of homemade ice cream, and our sales this year, since the signs went up especially, we have had a double digit increase in our sales from January to now," Schipps said, "And there is, to me, no other explanation other than the people on the island are really behind those tiny businesses here that are producing."

The island fishing gear and auto parts store is also reporting a ten to twenty percent increase in sales from last year. The Chamber of Commerce has added a new "Hire Local" element to the campaign this year, encouraging people on the island to hire local contractors. You can find more information on Deer Isle and Stonington businesses, visit the Chamber of Commerce website.