The Spirit of Buying Local

Back in the States these days, you see a lot of “buy local” bumper stickers and billboards. From tires to turnips to takeout, consumers are encouraged to keep their cash in the community. It’s become more than just a fad, and the ranks of “locavores” keep swelling.

The “buy local” movement is a push back against the faceless global business that separates us from the people who grow or make the things we need to live. Its supporters stress the importance of knowing how your spending directly affects the people you live near—every item you purchase from them is helping them pay for electricity and other essentials for their homes and business. At its best, this is using economics to build relationships, trust, and secure neighborhoods.

If you’re reading this from the U. S. or Canada, you might be wondering why a business that ships handicrafts from Jaipur, India, to a warehouse in Chattanooga, Tennessee to sell to customers in many different locations would be talking about this. Rajasthan is about as far from “local” as most of you could imagine!

Hang with us though. It occurred to us that buying items through Dekko is a lot like buying local (despite operations being thousands of miles away from most of our customers) because the intent behind your purchase is the same. The items you get from Dekko are unique not because of what they are in themselves (though we’re always very proud of the quality work our artisans do!), but because of the care and craftsmanship that goes into each piece. Seeing that handiwork and knowing that your purchase is directly impacting the life of the person who made it for you is powerful.

When you shop Dekko and encourage your friends to get to know the story behind our wares, you’re opening a door for them to be difference-makers. Every piece of jewelry or sari scarf that adds a little beauty to your life is also adding joy and accomplishment to the family that made it. Your purchase is putting food on the table for hard working families. It’s helping them send their kids to school, helping them save for the future, encouraging them to keep going.

So when you’re at your own neighborhood farmer’s market or that mom & pop shop on the corner, remember to get into the spirit of “buying local”, not just the letter. The artisans behind all of Dekko’s great products are certainly “local” to us—they’re our friends and neighbors, the people we do life with every day. You may not see the ways you are touching their lives, but we surely do.

Thank you!

Writing credit: Justin and Rachel Lonas
Photo credit: Rennie Abraham