I had an early start this morning attending the first breakfast meeting of the year for the Kedron Brook Business Group. The group is made up of largely self employed people who meet to support each other in developing and growing each others businesses.
One thing I particularly like about the group is that the venues for its meetings are always local businesses in the area. This is supporting the local community.
This got me thinking about the general shift by consumers away from large impersonal retailers and the return to people doing business locally. The benefits for the local community are many. Certainly in the Grange/Wilston area there are many local retailers including cafes and restaurants servicing the area. Unfortunately the high cost of rent and overheads, together with the convenience of one stop shopping, has seen some of these businesses close.
My family does support our local businesses and that does develop a sense of community spirit. Our local fish and chip owner has known my almost teenage son since he was about 2.
The lovely thing about this morning’s meeting was that I could walk down the hill to the venue!
