It seems like common sense that supporting local businesses means keeping more money in your community. I think the rise of Farmers Markets and small business incubators is a sign that people are starting to value local and regional culture/business moreso than large, faceless chains. This is something I still need to improve on, though. Most of my produce and bread comes from local vendors, but a lot of my groceries do not. Some of this is largely unavoidable, such as cleaning products (as far as I know) but I could still be putting a lot more money into the community. But other commodities such as beer and roasted coffee are widely available on a local level. I think encouraging people to go out and support local businesses and raise awareness is something worth doing.