Think Local First

Think Local First is a non-profit society directed by a group of enthusiastic volunteers who are all small business owners in Greater Victoria. Our goal is to encourage people to patronize local businesses so we can keep Greater Victoria a vibrant, sustainable community and make it a better place to live! Independent businesses contribute to creating healthy and dynamic communities. Profits don't get sent to a head office somewhere else; they stay and get spent here. For every 10% of dollars spent at locally-owned shops and services, 25% more money stays in the Victoria economy. This change in spending is known as the 10% shift movement, which we at TLF work tirelessly to promote. It leads to the multiplier effect, as local businesses make their purchases for office supplies, garbage disposal, lighting, etc. with other local businesses. It makes a significant difference for Greater Victoria. If we change our shopping behavior just that much, the results are proven. Our 2018 Board of Directors includes:Paul Hadfield - President (Spinnakers GastroBrewpub), Steve Pearce - Vice-President (Seafirst Insurance), Keith Smith - Treasurer (Green Horwood & Co. LLP), Mark Breslauer - Member at Large (Monk Office), Tammy Averill - Member at Large (Country Grocer), Michele Byrne - Member at Large (Dutch Bakery), Craig Smith - Member at Large (Help Fill A Dream), Tamara Thorpe - Member at Large (First Response Glass), Michele Hamilton - Managing Director. We have introduced Think Local First Rewards to Greater Victoria. This program is similar to frequent flyer points or a supermarket club card, but in this case, you're rewarded for patronizing participating Think Local First businesses. You earn Merits for shopping at these locally owned businesses and accumulated Merits can be redeemed for rewards from any participating business. Think Local First Rewards is powered by Supportland, a loyalty platform designed by Katrina and Michael Scotto Di Carlo. It helps small businesses gather information about their customers and see which customers they share with other businesses in the network. The point is to offer the independent business the same level of access to sophisticated data used by large big box stores.