How Buying a Cup of Coffee Can Build a Stronger Town—and a Wealthier Future

Want to boost your economy, strengthen your town, and invest in your future—all in one move?
Buy a cup of coffee from your neighbor.
Seriously.

Shopping local isn’t just feel-good—it’s economic rocket fuel.

Here’s how it works:

A tourist walks into a local bookstore and buys a $20 journal. That $20 pays the clerk, who tips the barista next door. The barista uses that tip at the farmer’s market. The farmer hires a babysitter who grabs dinner at the taco truck.

By the end of the week, that single $20 bill has touched five lives—and it never left town.

Now imagine that same $20 spent at a national chain.
It’s gone in a keystroke, off to a corporate HQ you’ll never see again.

The data backs it up:

• Every $100 spent locally sends up to $68 right back into your community.

• National chains? About $14 stays local.

• Local businesses buy from other locals. It’s a web, not a chain.

• That money loops, multiplies, and fuels the very town you live in.

When you shop local, your money works overtime—for your neighbors, your town, and your future.

You don’t need Wall Street to build wealth.
You just need Main Street.

At Story Real Estate, we’ve had opportunities over the years to join national chains—but we’ve chosen a different path. We are proud to remain a truly local real estate company, built by and for the people of Homer. Our team is made up of individuals who were born and raised here, or who have chosen to raise their families here, and we bring decades of firsthand local knowledge to every transaction. We know this market because we live it—and we love every minute of it.

If this message hits home—come say hello.
ILoveHomerAlaska.com
We’d love to hear what you’re building right here in our own backyard.