By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Winter may seem like a distant memory at this point, but our local businesses are still feeling its effects. So last month the City teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce, Somerville Local First, and the East Somerville and Union Square Main Streets organizations to hold the SomerBliss promotion to encourage people to shop local and help our local retailers put a difficult winter behind them. Now we’re into July, which is Independent Retailer Month and another occasion to support our local businesses. But really, we shouldn’t need a special event to support our local businesses. We should always take advantage of their offerings when we can. Because they are the lifeblood of our vibrant streets, our thriving local economy, and our safe community. And like our residents, local businesses embody what’s great about Somerville: Our dogged persistence, our diversity, and how we help and support one another.

So while you do your part to shop, dine and seek services locally, we’ll do ours. To start, we’re investing even more into supporting our local businesses. The Board of Aldermen recently approved an additional $150,000 for our Commercial Property Improvement Program. Since 2008, the City has invested approximately half a million dollars in storefront improvement projects through this program, which reimburses business owners who upgrade the outside front of their businesses to make our streets more appealing and draw in more customers. The program has been restricted up to this point because we’ve used federal grants that are earmarked specifically for low- and moderate-income neighborhoods within the city. But if our home rule petition passes at the state level, we’ll be able to offer this successful program citywide, which is important because some cash-strapped businesses are located in the more affluent areas of town and they too need our support.

We’re also making targeted changes to make it easier for businesses to start and operate. We’re now allowing them to apply for permits and licenses—and renewals—through our online CitizenServe portal. Our proposed zoning overhaul seeks to create incentives for small local businesses and encourage more by creating spaces for neighborhood corner stores, the arts and creative economy, and fabrication. We’ve also launched a pilot small business assistance program in Winter Hill and Magoun Square, providing technical assistance and implementation support for local businesses, and our partners at US2 are funding the program in Union Square as well. Our dedicated small business-to-City liaison can guide business owners through these programs and connect them with more, and assistance for business owners who speak Portuguese, Haitian Creole and Spanish is also available thanks to City Communications staff in the SomerViva Language Liaison program.

The diversity of our businesses is a reflection of what makes Somerville and this country great. It speaks to the dreams of so many who came to these shores seeking a better life for their families, and the opportunity to create and own something. Their dreams become part of the fabric of a neighborhood. We like to talk about placemaking in Somerville, about how we can best make our public spaces inviting and vibrant spaces for our community. It’s why we’re committed to making Somerville the most walkable and bikeable city in the nation. Local businesses are a huge part of that, too. They draw people into our public spaces, fill our sidewalks with people and make our squares and neighborhoods vibrant and safe. The more people out and about shopping, dining, and running errands, the better to prevent crime. And local independent businesses make our squares and neighborhoods stand apart, giving them a character all their own. When you look around and see businesses that you’ve never seen anywhere else, you know you’re in Somerville.

Local businesses lend to our community’s unique character. They also lend themselves to supporting one another and a stronger local economy. We’ve been fortunate in Somerville that businesses small and big, local and national have been terrific partners, helping us with community events and programs. Not every city is so lucky. Numerous studies have shown that money spent at independent retailers stays in the community longer and is spent several times more at other local businesses, while money spent at national chains quickly circulates out of the community.

Why does this happen? Research firm Civic Economic has studied this effect in numerous communities and finds that independent businesses spend more on local labor, local goods for resale, and services from other local businesses. For instance, a Civic Economic study in Salt Lake City found that local retailers returned 52 percent of their revenue to the local economy compared to only 14 percent for national chains, and local restaurants returned 79 percent of their revenue compared to 30 percent for chain restaurants. When you shop local, you’re not only supporting one local business—you’re supporting all of them. This is one reason why our proposed zoning ordinance seeks to only permit chains and big-box stores by special permit. Not every chain in and of itself is a bad thing, but we want to put a check in place to make sure that the businesses in Somerville are right for our community and our local economy.

We will continue to work at attracting more businesses to Somerville, and they in turn will invest in us via the funds they contribute in taxes. When we expand our commercial tax base, we can invest more in our schools, infrastructure and the services we all rely on. And more businesses results in more workers in the city during the day, who in turn will patronize our local businesses. So the impact just builds. But perhaps most important, the story of Somerville is a compilation of individual success stories that highlight the creativity, commitment and care of our people. Nowhere is that story better portrayed than in the hardworking people behind our local businesses, whose dreams have helped build our community.