Web directory buoys local businesses

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Think Local, Chico!, a local nonprofit advocacy group, has launched a comprehensive online directory of locally owned independent businesses.

The Buy Local Guide is designed to help residents shop locally and thereby support Chico’s local economy. A 2008 study by Civic Economics showed that, of every $100 spent at a locally owned independent merchant, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. Information in the new directory includes contact info and a business description, as well as business profiles and a photo gallery. Check it out at www.thinklocalchico.org.