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Many of us have become used to the convenience of shopping at big box stores or online in recent years.

The mega-retailers make all those errands a “one-stop shopping” experience, and if you’re online, you can do it all in your PJs.

But there’s a cost to all of this, especially in its effect on Connecticut’s towns and cities.

As part of our periodic series about the shifting economy called “This Economic Life”, we look at one effort to raise awareness of the potential benefits of buying locally.

They’re doing it everywhere, from Portland Maine to Santa Fe New Mexico, and now Southeastern Connecticut has become the latest community in this world of global commerce to launch a buy local campaign.

The message is this – before you jump in your car and head to the not-so-local big box, or simply jump online, see what your local downtown merchant has to offer.

"We’re unique, like a lot of other long term business. I have wonderful employees, we’re like a family"

Howard Stillman owns J.Solomon, an office supply business in downtown New London, that’s been a city fixture since 1902. He says he works to keep his prices competitive with the national retailers, and the difference, is service.

"We don’t just drop off a computer table, we ask if they want it assembled. We do all in house installation. If there’s a problem after the sale, we’re there to fix it. We still don’t charge for delivery and we can turn on a dime. We need local businesses to be successful."

And he says he puts his money where his mouth is.

"Everything we procure we go locally first, maybe insurance or buying autos, or services that we use, don’t take that for granted because that helps everyone in our community."

Although he says, as far as the Internet’s concerned, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

"We don't consider the internet competition, we have an online ordering site, and use the Internet as a way of increasing our business. Our online ordering site is second to none."

The point-and-click method of shopping is undoubtedly convenient, and the figures speak to its popularity – online sales were $132 bllion in 2006, and some studies believe that will grow to $270 billion by 2011.

"If the trend continues to shop on the Internet, we’ll have lots of UPS trucks running around, but we’ll have very few merchants who have bricks and mortar in the community who pay property taxes."

Tony Sheridan is President of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut. The Chamber is behind the Buy Local campaign, which wants to encourage all of us to use our spending power closer to home.

"At the end of the day, you’re helping to educate our young people by shopping locally, you’re helping the small business person survive, you’re creating jobs that otherwise will disappear, and there’s all these great reasons to really think about your local community. How can you support your local community? You can support it very easily by shopping as much as you possibly can locally."

And what’s good for us everyday consumers, Sheridan says, should also be good for the state when it’s spending our tax dollars. He backed a bill signed into law earlier this month that aims to give Connecticut companies a leg-up when it comes to bidding for state contracts.

We’re reporting on how “This Economic Life” is changing for you…and we’d like you to tell us your story. Are you trying a new fuel source? Telecommuting? Carpooling? Are you putting off big plans? Or, are you getting involved in your community, and trying to make a change? Let us know with an email to wherewelive@wnpr.org.