Local shopping is hot

I entered the phrase “2010 trends buy local” into Google, and got back 9,120,000 results, a pretty good indication that buying local is going to be a pretty big deal in the coming year, and probably well beyond.

Money is tight, though, and it can be hard to pay even a few more cents for a product purchased from a locally based retailer instead of a national chain. Multiplied by thousands of transactions, however, those few cents can make the difference between survival and failure for the local businesses that keep our neighborhoods and state economically strong. So I’m making my resolutions for the coming year public this year, in the hope that they might catch on.

And here they are:

1. At least once a month, I’ll buy my food at a “native Colorado” grocery. These include -- but are by no means limited to -- Sunflower, based in Boulder; Tony’s Market, based in Denver; and Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers, based in Golden. No matter where I shop, I’ll try to make sure there’s at least one “made in Colorado” product in my cart. Websites with more information on Colorado food products include coloradolocalfirst.com and coloradoproud.org.

2. I’ll make at least three visits this year to a farmers’ market. Throughout the year, I can visit the Urban Homesteading Indoor Farmers’ Market, which offers foodstuffs from local farmers and food purveyors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at 200 Santa Fe Drive, www.denverurbanhomesteading.com. Colorado’s seasonal farmers’ markets start up in May and are listed at coloradoproud.org.

3. I’ll patronize fast-food operations based in Colorado, which include Chipotle, Good Times, Heidi’s, Kokoro, Noodles & Co., Qdoba, Quiznos, the Spicy Pickle and Tokyo Joe’s, among many others. I’ll also choose single-location independent restaurants over chains such as Chili’s or TGIF.

4. When I’m looking for a latte, I’ll shop local at Boyers, Common Grounds, Daz Bog, Hooked on Colfax, Ink! Coffee, Kaladi Bros., Peaberry, Stella’s or any of the dozens of other locally based coffee spots.

5. I’ll fill my gas tank at a station that also does auto repairs. I usually put about 10 gallons of gasoline into my tank every three weeks or so. If I pay an extra 15 cents a gallon by filling up at Bonnie Brae Conoco instead of Bradley, it will cost me around $25 a year, a small price to pay to help subsidize one of the few remaining neighborhood car repair shops in Denver.

Now, on to the sales

The National Western Stock Show, Saturday, Jan. 9, through Jan. 24 at the National Western Complex, nationalwestern.com/nwss/comexhibit/exhibitors.php.

If you’ve never stopped by to look at the commercial exhibits, you’ve missed a ton of shopping fun. Independent retailers pour into Denver from throughout the western United States and Canada, providing a kind of cowboy bazaar filled with belt buckles, saddles, spurs and other great stuff you just won’t find at Kmart. Colorado-based exhibitors include Rocky Mountain Clothing Company, of Denver; JB Saddlery, of Fort Lupton; Rocky Mountain Signs of the Times, of Lakewood, and Steamboat Ranchwear, of Steamboat Springs.

The Bookies bookstore, 4315 E Mississippi Ave., 303-759-1117, www.thebookies.com.

All 2010 calendars and selected holiday items are half price. Any customer who makes a cash purchase routinely gets a 15 percent discount.

Leta’s Loot, 15256 E. Hampden Ave. Aurora, 303-617-5668 (LOOT)

Leta's Loot is extending its food drive because food pantries remain bare. Through January, bring in one can of food for 5 percent discount or three cans for a 15 percent discount