shop local first

Here's a great alternative to Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Shop locally.

There are any number of local businesses that help you meet your gift-giving needs -- even gift certificates from local restaurants can make a great stocking stuff, not to mention the great locally owned retail outlets in town.

When you shop local, more of your dollars stay locally to help boost the local economy and you're supporting businesses that do so much more than out-of-state-based chains to support local civic groups and schools.

On this page are ads for more than 130 local businesses. Check out what they have to offer. 

Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles
Alabama Hotel
Alberty Drug Store
Alex's Place
Alli's Cones and Dogs
Baker's Frontier Kitchens
Barrett's Batavia Marine and Sporting Supplies
Batavia Downs
Batavia Eats
Batavia Gold Rush
Batavia Tailors & Cleaners
Bill Fox and Son Construction & Remodeling
Beds 'n' Bones Pet Lodge
Belhaven Kennels
Ben's Kitchens, Baths, & Appliances
Blue Pearl Yoga
Bohn's Restaurant
Bontrager's Real Estate
Bourbon & Burger Co.
Brighton Securities
B-Town Yellow Taxi
Bubba's Landscaping
Casa Del Taco
CB Beach Mortuary
Cedar St. Sales and Rentals
Center Street Smokehouse
Chesley's Auto
Clor's Meat Market, BBQ & Catering
The Color Salon
Continental School of Beauty
Council Opticians
Crazy Cheap Cars
D'Tangles
D&R Depot Restaurant
Dan's Tire
Daphne's Restaurant & Lounge
Darien Auto Parts
Deep Blue Pool & Spa
Derrick Monument Company
Detail Shop (Pellegrino's)
Empire Tractor
The Enchanted Florist
Falcone Family Funeral & Cremation Service, Inc.
Falleti Motors
Fastec Automotive
Ficarella's Pizzeria
Ficarella's Backflow Testing
Foxprowl Collectibles
Foxy Construction
Floral Fantasies
Frankly Design
Genesee County Emergency Services
Genesee Dental Group
Genesee Graphics
Genesee Orthopaedics
Gilmartin
Godfrey's Pond
Greens of LeRoy
Greg'ry's Bakery
H.E. Turner & Co.
Hair Studio 25
Hardcor Audio
Harrington's Produce
Haul-4-Less
High Voltage Tattoo
Hot Shots Caffe
Housing Council at Pathstone
Hot Heads
Humphrey's Electric & Security
Insource Urgent Care
I.R. Systems
The Insurance Center
J. Leonard McAndrew
Jagged Edges Salon
John's Service Station
Karen's Yarn Paper Scissors
Kelly's Mowing
Ken Barrett
KleenAll
Kreative Design Kitchen & Bath
L&L Transmission, Inc.
L.C. Mosman
Lamb Family Medicine
Lambert's Design Jewelers
Lathan Tree Service
LeRoy Counseling
Louis Andolora - Tax Advisor
Main St. Pizza Company
Making Memories of Travel
The Mane Attraction
The Manor House
Matteo & Mullen, CPA
Max Pies
Millennium Computer
Next Level Fitness
Oakfield Fitness
O'Lacy's Irish Pub
Oliver's Candies
Optique
Palm Island Indoor Waterpark
Pellegrino Auto Sales
Pembroke Family Medicine
Personalized By Santa
Picasso's Pizza
Precision Lawn Care
Pudgie's Lawn & Garden
R&D Outlet
RW Vapors
Sallome Heating & Cooling
Sammy Hill's
Santino's Pizza
Scooter's Restaurant (Le Roy)
S.C.O.P.E. of Genesee County
Select Collision
Settler's Restaurant
Sloat's Tire
Southside Deli
Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew
Spirits
Stan's Harley-Davidson
T.F. Brown's
The Finishing Line
Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel
Trash Away
Turnbull Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
UB Neurosurgery
Upstate Chrysler Dodge Jeep
Valle Jewelers
Viking Valhalla/Rose Garden Bowl
Vinyl Sticks
West Main Wine & Spirits
Western Regional Off Track
William Kent, Inc.
WNY Fireplace Outlet
Woody's Deli
Yasses Construction
Yngodess Shop
YWCA
Zoom N Groom Dog Grooming

One of the objections I often hear to the need for us all to "shop local first" is that "big boxes create jobs, too."

That's true. They may not be good paying jobs, or may lack benefits and job security may be a fiction, but they are jobs.

They're not jobs as good as those that have been displaced by the big boxes, particularly the manufacturing jobs driven off shore by demands for ever cheaper products, but they are jobs.

But the most important counter argument to "they create jobs, too," is that shopping local creates more jobs.

I recently came across this 2008 study commissioned by a shop local group in Michigan that found if just 10 percent of the consumers in their county made buying local a priority, it would result in an estimated $140 million in new economic activity, 1,600 new jobs, and $50 million in new wages.

That's because when you support a locally owned business, more of your money is staying in the community rather than being shipped off to some corporate headquarters in another state.

In a recession, in a Western New York economy battered by manufacturing job losses and a mismanaged Albany, shouldn't we all be doing our best to support the local economy first? If can't depend on each other, who can we depend on? There's no quick-fix coming from Albany or Washington. It's up to us.

So, whenever possible (and I realize for a number of reasons, it isn't always possible), shop local first. The more you do, the more it helps.

And a majority of the local businesses that need your support are sponsors of The Batavian, so when you patronize the businesses below, you're doing two good deeds.

Thank you, the readers, and to the sponsors for helping to make 2010 a great year for Billie and I.

3 D Wine & Spirits
A.D. Call and Sons
Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle
Alberty Drug Store
Alex's Place
Alli's Cones and Dogs
Baker's Frontier Kitchens
Barrett's Batavia Marine and Sporting Supplies
Batavia Downs
Beds 'n' Bones Pet Lodge
Blue Pearl Yoga
Bontrager's Auction
Bontrager's Real Estate
Carlson's Studio
CASA
Cedar St. Sales and Rentals
Center Street Smokehouse
Christiano Cellular
Classic Home Improvements
Clor's Meat Market
Crazy Cheap Cars
D&R Depot Restaurant
The Daily Grind
Dan's Tire
Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern
Dupont TV
Empire Tractor
The Enchanted Florist
Fastec Automotive
Ferrellgas
Foxprowl Collectibles
Genesee County Emergency Services
Genesee Dental Group
Genesee Graphics
Gilmartin
Habitat for Humanity
Hair Studio 25
Hardcor Audio
H.E. Turner & Co.
Holy Family School
I.R. Systems
The Insurance Center
J. Leonard McAndrew
John's Service Station
Ken Barrett
KleenAll
Kraving's Kafe
Lamb Family Medicine
Larry's Steakhouse
Lathan Tree Service
Lawley Genesee
Lewis and Lewis
Licata Chiropractic
Main St. Pizza Company
The Mane Attraction
The Manor House
Margarita's 
Mark Lewis Agency
Matteo & Mullen, CPA
Matty's Pizzeria
Max Pies
Michael Tomaszewski
Millennium Computer
Mobile Dog Grooming
Mr. Wine & Liquor
Next Level Fitness
O'Lacy's Irish Pub
Oliver's Candies
Optique
Pauly's Pizza
Pellegrino Auto Sales
Pheasants on the Flats
Present Tense Books
Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center
P.W. Minor
Red Osier
Roxy's Music
Russell Marchese, DDS
Scratch Bakery
Select Collision
Settler's
Sloat Tire
South Beach
South Main Country Store
Stafford Trading Post
Southside Deli
Spray In Insulation
Terry Hills
T.F. Brown's
Topline Shirt Company
Valle Jewelers
West Main Wine & Spirits
WNY Blacktop Sealers
WNY Fireplace Outlet
Yasses Snow Removal