Lovin’ Local

There’s a lot for visitors to love about Door County: the charming shops, quaint restaurants, picking cherries in season, not to mention breathtaking views of Lake Michigan. But those that live and work there hope to keep the region vibrant by encouraging Door County residents to shop locally.

On a recent spring day, 80 people gathered at Draft Haus in Sturgeon Bay for a Local Food Mixer. This was no pot luck, as the name might imply. The Door County Buy Local agricultural sub-committee lured producers, consumers, retailers and restaurateurs to come and learn how to support locally-produced agricultural products.

Round tables scattered around the room provided comfortable seating as attendees intently listened to a local grower, local restaurateur and local retailer. Each preached the advantages and obstacles to selling and using local foods.

Immediately afterwards, attendees wasted no time seeking out and exchanging information with potential business partners. Old and new acquaintances greeted each other with a handshake; friendly chatter filled the room. Tables at the front of the room displayed promotional material from Buy Local members.

“One of our goals was to bring people together and to help businesses start forming relationships. If we can get the right people together, something good is bound to happen,” says Rob Burke, steering committee member and representative from the Door County UW-Extension.

While this mixer was meant to bring businesses together, it also served as a way for the group to collect information.

“We asked three questions: the benefits, the obstacles and any solutions for buying food locally,” says Victoria Cerinich, a consumer and advocate for Door County Buy Local. “We will summarize and share the data with those interested. It will be interesting to see what solutions are presented and what we can do to further this initiative.”

Door County Buy Local sponsors business mixers on the first Tuesday of every other month (the next meeting is June 7). The events include an update on the program’s status and activities, a speaker on a relative community topic and time to socialize.

The events alternate between northern Door County locations and Sturgeon Bay. Businesses are encouraged to host an event.

There is no membership fee to be part of Door County Buy Local although a $5 donation is asked of attendees to defray the cost to host an event. “It is open to whoever wants to do something,” adds Burke.

Door County Buy Local is a grass-roots economic development initiative designed to strengthen local businesses and educate the region’s business owners and residents on the importance of buying local whenever possible. Their mission is to keep money in the local economy.

Marci Faustini, another Buy Local supporter, directs those interested in joining the group to visit their website, www.doorcountybuylocal.com. There individuals can indicate if they are interested in joining a subcommittee. Information about the bimonthly events are also posted on the website.
Faustini explains if each member of the community does as little as 1 percent of their shopping locally, thousands of dollars will cycle back into the county.

“It is important to remember we are all in the same boat. Everyone needs to find out who their neighbors are and commit to doing business with them,” she said.