Comments on: Buy from the Home Team

By: LutheranChik

LutheranChik — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:54:32 +0000

I’m a consumer trying to do my part in supporting local/regional food producers…which is very difficult here in mid-Michigan simply because the public here in the middle of the Mitten doesn’t seem to have an awareness or interest in locally grown food — at least not to the degree one finds it in northwest lower Michigan. Despite this, I have slowly built a network of local farmers, including members of the local Amish community, with whom I do business directly. For anyone interested, my blog, Mid-Michigan Foodie, http://midmifoodie.blogspot.com, is my journal of my adventures in this endeavor.

By: Lisa Diggs

Lisa Diggs — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:42:10 +0000

It is a growing trend, but for many people the difficulty is in identifying which companies or products are local. That is why we created http://www.BuyMichiganNow.com, to motivate people and make it easier to support Michigan-based businesses.

By: Jeffrey Poling

Jeffrey Poling — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:27:18 +0000

Buy from the home team is a great idea. Unfortunatly, we don’t toot our horn nearly enough to offset the out of state competition – specifically California. Next time you go grocery shopping, notice: California plums, California prunes, California grapes, California raisons, California melons – they even claim California cherries. TV ads proclaim: “Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California – California cheese”. Now how many items carry a Michigan label? Do the cherries, or the apples, or the blue berries? Kalamazoo was once known for its celery. Now celery carries a California label. Kellog’s cereal once proudly proclaimed, “Kellog’s of Battle Creek” – not any more. Grand Rapids was once the furniture capital. That title now belongs to North Carolina even though Steel Case and Hermin Miller, the largest office furniture companys are still headquartered in Grand Rapids. Who knows that? How much longer will Detroit claim to be the “Motor City”? Los Angeles now claims to be “Motor City West” and Motown Records is no longer in Motown – guess where they went.

Advertising is important and Michigan doesn’t do enough of it. If anyone doubts the value of advertising, go into a wine store and look at the thousands of different wines from all over the world and ask yourself: Is California wine really the best in the world or is it the best because we are told to believe it’s the best?

My point is, we don’t seem to care enough anymore to thump our chest and proclaim our achievments – and they are many. Due to apathy or loss of pride as Michiganians or personal loss of self esteem we are letting other states, other regions strip us of what is ours.

By: Kevin Berman

Kevin Berman — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:17:30 +0000

That would be, http://www.harvestmichigan.com

By: Kevin Berman

Kevin Berman — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:16:56 +0000

Launched two weeks ago (working polishing the site up a bit), we’re adding more products every week!

By: Gerald Roston

Gerald Roston — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:14:50 +0000

Great sentiments – now if only State-run entities would listen:
Invoices paid to the University of Michigan are sent to… Pittsburgh, PA
Parking fines paid to Ann Arbor are sent to… Tarrytown, NY

If the State wants to retain jobs, maybe its leader should practice what they preach.