Today, we are living in an era where going outside of our homes is considered as a physically-intensive task. With a slew of apps and online services where we can choose and pay for the items we want no matter the size or quantity, and have them deliver to our houses in no time at all.
With the rise of retailers and service providers dominating the consumer scene with Amazon being the biggest chess piece on the playing field, small businesses are quickly fading into bankruptcy in favor of the convenience of simply ordering something online. Wanting to make a stand against the multibillion-dollar moguls, the Roncesvalles Village BIA contacted The Local Collective to create a message that Roncesvalles’ small businesses are Not For Lease!
On November 24, in the first days of the new lockdown imposed by the government, millions of miles worth of brown craft paper with the words printed “For Lease” is handed out to the local business owners to cover up the glass windows of their shops at the dead of night. So that when Roncesvalles citizens wake up and continue on with their day, they’ll see that many of the businesses that they are used to passing by are closed for good. Store after store, block after block.
At noon, however, business owners all over Roncesvalles walk out to the front of their establishment and start tearing down the “For Lease” parchment papers. Revealing that they are still open for business and a flyer with the proclamation to resist the rapid expansion of Amazon and encouraging passersby and Roncesvalles to support independent retailers instead.
This campaign is an incredibly powerful one that gives social media a brutal reality check on the devastating negative impact services like Amazon can bring to smaller mom-and-pop shops like these. So the next time you’re thinking of buying something, put your shoes on and take a hike to the shop lot next door or stop by a small café instead. Who knows, you’ll be blown away by the handcrafted quality goods for sale and even making a friend or two there!
There is never a better time to start a business with opportunity knocking at every door. See how you can get your comeuppance here!