Crystal Beach business owner applauds Region’s shop local initiative

A local business owner says she has noticed consumers being more mindful of buying Canadian products since trade worries escalated between Canada and the United States.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase of people wanting to know what they’re buying and where it’s made,” said Ashlynn Ross, who has operated Planks Canada with her husband Keith for the last nine years in Crystal Beach.

Recently, Niagara Region announced a “Shop, Support, and Share Local” campaign, encouraging people to spend their money at Niagara-based businesses.

“Every little bit helps,” said Ross in an interview with Fort Erie Radio on Tuesday, whose retail operation offers many products made locally or in other parts of Canada.

The initiative joins similar efforts from across the country designed to stimulate local economies and ignite pride in buying local and supporting local businesses, says a news release from the Region.

Ross said even though they have been a popular retail spot for close to a decade, they still meet new customers who have just heard about them. And many of the people who come through their doors at the corner of Erie and Derby roads are American.

She said Crystal Beach is a place, especially in the summer months, where locals and seasonal residents from the U.S. co-exist in harmony, and she doesn’t expect that to change.

“They don’t want to fight with Canadians,” she said.

The American dollar being more valuable and Canadians opting to shop locally is something she hopes will move things in a “positive direction” in the coming months.

They have also opened a new store, Beach and Bunkie, which will offer beach-focused items from a separate location on Erie Road this summer.

The Region says this initiative aims to remind Niagara residents that “local shops, services, restaurants, artisans and suppliers are the heart of the community and that every purchase from a Canadian-owned and operated business keeps money circulating close to home.”

But showing support for Niagara’s businesses and workers doesn’t always have to involve spending money.

There are many ways to support and share local, says the Region, such as: recommending a product, service or business to a friend; writing a positive review; following and subscribing to social accounts; liking and sharing posts; and signing up for newsletters.

Niagara residents are encouraged to look for “I Am Niagara Local” signs in business windows.

And Niagara business owners are also encouraged to contact their local economic development office to access a variety of resources designed to support their businesses during these uncertain times, including campaign decals, stickers, and posters available after April 14.

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