Opinion: Shop Local Services, Not Just Local Goods

The same 'shop local' mindset that fills farmers' markets should guide the services Vermont businesses hire.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 11:05am

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In an opinion piece, Steve Crafts argues that Vermonters should extend their 'shop local' commitment to business services like advertising, public relations, accounting, and web design, not just local goods like farmers' market products. Crafts says that service sector businesses create well-paying jobs that help pay mortgages, taxes, and health insurance premiums, and stimulate the local economy, attracting a younger workforce and helping to grow Vermont's population.

Why it matters

Small businesses make up 99% of all businesses in Vermont and employ more than 60% of the state's total workforce. The creative and service sector alone contributed nearly $1.2 billion to the Vermont economy and accounted for more than 10,000 jobs in 2023. Choosing to work with Vermont-based service providers can have a significant economic impact on the state.

The details

Crafts argues that when most people think of 'small business', they think 'small', but in Vermont, small businesses play an outsized role and are the backbone of the economy. He says that while products from farmers' markets matter, they're only part of the picture, and that Vermonters should extend their 'shop local' commitment to business services as well. Crafts says that money spent on local services stays in Vermont and flows back into the community, supporting neighbors' livelihoods and the broader ecosystem that makes the state worth living in.

  • In 2023, the creative and service sector contributed nearly $1.2 billion to the Vermont economy and accounted for more than 10,000 jobs.

The players

Steve Crafts

A Vermont resident who wrote an opinion piece arguing that Vermonters should extend their 'shop local' commitment to business services, not just local goods.

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What they’re saying

“The creative and service sector alone — marketing agencies, web designers, branding firms, consultants — contributed nearly $1.2 billion to the Vermont economy and accounted for more than 10,000 jobs in 2023, according to the Vermont Arts Council. These aren't small numbers. They make a difference.”

— Steve Crafts

“Money that stays in Vermont flows back into your community and supports your neighbors' livelihoods and the broader ecosystem that makes this state worth living in. When you source services from somewhere else, that benefit disappears.”

— Steve Crafts

The takeaway

This opinion piece highlights the importance of supporting local service providers in Vermont, not just local goods, in order to strengthen the state's small business ecosystem and economy.