Letter from Jonathon Welch, 2009 Board Chair

Photo by Michael Mulley

Buffalo is a city of many possibilities. Buffalo and the surrounding region is a vibrant place, with an architectural splendor, cultural richness, artistic drive, community spirit, and human warmth unsurpassed by any city in the U.S. All the city/region needs is a stronger belief in itself, a greater pride in its history and its present, a little less sensitivity about its image and its weather.

The local businesses and organizations featured on this website, with all the members of Buffalo First, have a bedrock belief in this place and the people who inhabit it, whatever the circumstances. They have taken chances, pursued dreams, and challenged a harsh economic reality with vision, courage, and faith. Buffalo is an extraordinary community because of their risks and their trust. Remove them from the landscape and what is left is Anywheresville, USA. Your support does literally mean the world to them, and they, we believe, mean Buffalo to you.

Buffalo First was founded on the belief that local businesses, in addition to enhancing the character of any community, also make up the engine that drives the local economy. People all over the country are beginning to realize that the displacement of the local by national and corporate chains does not simply diminish their community's individuality and uniqueness, but also erodes the tax base and the services and institutions that it has traditionally supported.

When you shop at your locally owned businesses, three times as much money stays in your community, compared to what happens when you spend money at a national chain or on-line. The money that stays paves the roads, supports the schools, provides police and fire protection and a clean water supply, among many other services. Realization of the fundamental connection between local businesses and a community's economic health has spurred the growth all over the country of organizations like Buffalo First, dedicated to supporting and growing a sustainable, green and local economy.

There is plenty on this website to pique your interests and meet your needs. We can promise that all of our members share this community with you and believe that their efforts, all our efforts, will keep our community a vital and extraordinary place to live, work, and play.

National and international competitors have begun to notice the "buy local" movement, and are beginning to try to co-opt our message, claiming to be local, masking their origins or corporate relationships. Artificial plants can look great, and fool some of us some of the time, and invasive species sometimes take the upper hand. But native plants with their deep roots, hardiness, and adaptability to the local climate will flower longer and with a greater and deeper beauty. They may require more attention, but the care is worth the effort, and pays back with interest. Please come out and meet your neighbors, see what they have to offer. Make new acquaintances or revisit old friends. Just a slight shift in your buying habits toward local businesses will have an enormous effect on our region's economic stability and viability. Help this garden grow and flourish.

Jonathon Welch
2009 Board Chair, Buffalo First

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Lexington Cooperative Market

Choose local, organic, and seasonal. A consumer owned natural foods grocery store featuring local and organic foods, including fresh produce, groceries, and grass fed fresh meat, seafood, cheeses, fresh baked breads, and the largest bulk department in WNY. Daily creations from our kitchen include delicious salads, soups and meals to go. Open to everyone 8 am-10 pm daily. There is free parking for co-op shoppers.