Why buy local?

13FOREST is a locally owned small business. The majority of the artists we present live or work within 30 miles of the gallery. When you shop local you are not only supporting businesses like ours, you are supporting your neighbors, your local economy and the environment. In an era of big box stores and overseas mass production, consider all good reasons to keep it local - and artist/artisan made - for the holidays:

When you buy from locally owned businesses, more of your money goes back into your community. Since many of our artists live in the area, the effect is amplified.
It's sustainable. Less transport + nearby vendors + central location = reduced environmental impact and more vibrant town centers. Because the work we sell is all handcrafted by artists in New England, no factories or labor exploitation, either.
Keeping it local keeps your community unique. Cookie-cutter stores =cookie-cutter products=cookie-cutter communities. Local businesses=distinct personalities and wares=unique communities.
Better service: We live and work in the same communities as our customers. The better we know you, the better we can meet your needs. In our case, our local artists are the best guide to the kind of beautiful, functional items our customers want.
We're all invested in the same communities. We live and work here, and we want to see the area thrive, just like you. It's good for community, it's good for real estate, and it creates a higher quality of life.
Taxes: Local businesses in town centers require less infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.
Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.
Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy. A marketplace of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. There's no far off executive dictating our inventory or our prices.

In the current economic and environmental climate, there are more reasons than ever to keep it local!