With the struggling economy and much tighter budgets, it is easy to justify purchasing a lower priced item from a box store, discount center or online store.  However, there are many reasons to keep your purchase local.  Adams says, “There are so many reasons to choose a local business, like Buckeye Hardwoods, over a business that you go into and you are just another number.  At our business you are a person, not a number.”

Buying locally is a great way to boost a lagging economy.  Economic research has suggested that money spent in a local economy generally stays in that local economy at least twice as long as money spent at nationalized chains and discount centers.  Adams is a firm believer that this is true.  “When a consumer makes a purchase through Buckeye Hardwoods several things happen that boost the local economy.  First, our business pays taxes that support the infrastructure in our community.  Our business employs fifteen people who live in our community, pay taxes and make local purchases.  Most of our employees deposit their paychecks into locally owned banks, eat at locally owned restaurants and shop at local businesses,” says Adams.  “We also work directly with local contractors who also pay local taxes and employ local consumers.  It is easy to see that the money stays in the Western Montana region longer than if it goes to an online store or out-of-state discount center.”

Another advantage to a locally owned business is that the owners and employees generally have an expertise and a passion for their products that is not found in large box stores.  Small businesses will assist and educate a consumer and help the consumer gravitate towards the product that fits best.  “Our goal is not to get you into the most expensive product or the least expensive product.  Our goal at Buckeye is to find out what your needs are, what your budget is and get you into the right product.  Take flooring, for example, we go through a series of questions with a customer, including where the flooring is going, what style your house is, what your heating source is, and then we can lead you to the options that will suit your needs the best,” states Adams. “Our end goal is to have customers that are happy after our product is installed and in use, not just when they walk out of our door.”

Locally owned businesses are responsible for the purchasing of the products they carry.  Decisions on what and where to purchase are made on a local level instead of a national level.  This can be especially important for the new “green” consumer, as local business owners can be pickier about where products come from and how they are manufactured and processed.  Adams is very selective about where Buckeye Hardwoods purchases products.  “We know our suppliers.  I have personally been to most of our vendors’ facilities and our vendors have been to our facilities.  If there is a problem, I can go directly to the owner of our supplier and get it solved.  The same is true for you as a consumer, if you buy from us and for some reason there is a problem, you can come directly to me and we’ll get it worked out.” 

Adams emphasizes, “We also know where our products are coming from.  American hardwoods are what we consider the original green product and we’re proud of the fact that we know it was harvested responsibly.   We know the people cutting the trees and milling the lumber and have seen their facilities.  We know they aren’t using child labor or unknown glues and chemicals in their processing.  We also make sure the wood is dried properly and stored properly from start to finish.  In short, we know the product.”  One supplier of Buckeye Hardwoods, Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring, has been in the lumber business for three generations and is proud of the fact that they were one of the first few hundred companies to become FSC certified.  Sheoga Hardwood Flooring and Paneling, another supplier, is Amish-owned and thus uses less electricity and energy during their cutting and manufacturing process than most facilities.  These are just two examples, but in fact, most of Buckeye’s suppliers also offer environmentally friendly products and support sustainability in a variety of ways.

Another major benefit of knowing the source of materials is that quality is more of a priority.  Also, local merchants are more likely to stand behind the quality of their products.  “Quality is critical.  Choosing quality hardwoods for flooring or moulding can be complicated.  For example, take Northern Appalachian hardwoods versus Southern Appalachian hardwoods.  Hardwood trees grown in the south grow faster because of the longer growing season and therefore, do not have as tight of a grain as hardwoods trees grown in the northerly climates.  The same species can vary greatly in density and color, so you have to be selective about what region you purchase from,” Adams explains.  “We like to make sure our customers know our quality is the foundation our products, and likely when they compare pricing to box stores, they are really comparing apples to oranges.”

“When I make a purchase, I really try to go to a local business.  I like knowing that I am a person, not a number and that the owner of a business is going to stand behind his or her product.  The same goes for our customers,” says Adams.  “It just makes sense.”

A slightly different version of this article can be found in the Western Home Journal: Flathead Valley (Summer/Fall 2011 edition).  See it soon at www.westernhomejournal.com.

Written by Christine Baldwin, Buckeye Hardwoods