Support the uniqueness of local towns by contributing to communities & making conscious choices.

elephant is proud to partner with Pekoe, a wonderful business we’ve enjoyed hanging out in (and drinking) for years. We love laptopping it up at their sip houses around Boulder and enjoying their yummy, mindfully-sourced coffee & teas. ~ the Management.

Boulder, Colorado is a perfect town to talk about the idea of supporting locals first. Residents here get it–they really understand the concept and rally to support local and independent businesses. Growing up here, I remember people chaining themselves to the doors of big box stores to protest the few that risked opening (most of them closed shortly afterward because too few people shopped there). Besides protesting big chain stores, it’s really easy to promote independent businesses here.

Many of our local businesses belong to the Boulder County Independent Business Alliance, or B.I.B.A. who puts out a map detailing the location of various independent businesses making it easy for residents and visitors alike to find them. Or visit the farmer’s market to see how many local farmers, shops and restaurants we have and how enthusiastic people are to support these purveyors. Even our local Costco carries a number of products that are produced locally. The movement of supporting locally grown businesses is gaining popularity everywhere, even within the business community itself.

It’s been demonstrated over and over that independent businesses recycle more of their revenue back into local communities than big chain stores. Besides recycling wealth and creating jobs within the community, many locally produced products carry a lower price tag because of minimal shipping costs and lessened environmental footprints. Smart entrepreneurial business owners realize that they can support the communities that support them by not only offering good products at reasonable prices, but also by cooperating with other local business owners and providing customers with a real sense of community.

I think smaller businesses also retain a bit more of that one-of-a-kind character that Boulder supports. We’ve all seen the “Keep Boulder Weird” stickers. It’s not really about being weird so much as it is supporting the uniqueness of our town and knowing that we contribute to our community with our conscious choices.

A good example of this is one of my favorite born-in-Boulder hangouts, Pekoe Sip House. Pekoe carries and utilizes a number of locally produced products that enhance my experience there, including some that are not so obvious. While I may be drinking tea that comes from Japan, the agave used to sweeten it is local, as is the paper cup it may be served in. My pumpkin bread was made just down the street and even the non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning supplies they use are made locally. All these things factor into my decision to return to Pekoe again and again. I feel great about supporting a local business and even better because they support local too.

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Autumn White Graves is a Boulder, Colorado native who spends the majority of her time with a vivacious three-year-old. When she finds time, she enjoys practicing yoga and pilates, reading, cooking for her family and part-time writing and consulting.