Viva la Folio!

I'm a little behind the times posting this, but for anyone who didn't catch it Folioweekly just did an nice little buying guide focusing exclusively on local businesses that offer truly unusual items (my personal favorite being the Godzilla statue made from motorcyle parts). The issue that it was in is already off the stands, but I know that at least one of your friends has got an issue shoved somewhere in the backseat of their car from when they read it while eating lunch at Burrito Gallery. Or you could just check it out on the Folio site here.

In the same issue Folio issued a call for all of it's readers to forgo the cheap Walmart christmas presents (which any respectable kid will break within a week anyways) and pledge to spend at least 100 dollars in locally owned businesses. It's been pretty well documented that when money is spent locally approximately 68 cents of each dollar goes directly back into the local economy which is about 50% more than when spent at a national retailer or restaurant (approx 43 cents on the dollar) and when you buy online the local impact is far lower than even that. Folioweekly estimates that the financial impact of their entire readership spending 100 dollars locally would pump an additional 8 million dollars into the local economy. So when you shop locally you're not just supporting your area merchants, but you're also fostering more jobs in the local enomony and increasing your city's available tax income, that means that shopping locally can have a direct, positive impact on your roads, schools, parks and civic services. So do your civic duty and go out there and patronize your friendly local restauranteur or shop owner.

Folioweekly is also standing behind their call to action by offering a contest for anyone willing to take their pledge. Simply email fbombcontest@folioweekly.com with "I pledge" in the subject line and your name, address, and phone number in the body to be entered in a drawing for over 1000 dollars in gift certificates for local stores. So pledge away (deadline is December 15), and make sure to follow through on it, because you don't want to be that guy that never follows through on your pledges, do you?