All of us are thinking about our economy these days: plunging stock market, huge bailout package, rising costs of oil and food.  Many are asking how we got into this mess, but the real question is how we get out of it. Much of what we’ve been reading is focused on the national and global economies, but a more important issue is how our own community and region will weather this storm.
    We founded the Meadowview Farmers’ Guild and the Harvest Table Restaurant for exactly this reason. Directing money into the local economy is much more effective at building a self-sufficient community than any investment outside our region. Consider that when you buy goods that are shipped into our area from outside, an estimated 75% of your money leaves the region.  Consider that every single day, our country’s purchases send over a Billion Dollars to China alone. Buying from a locally-owned store increases the money that stays in your community. The highest local economic benefit is gained from locally-owned businesses that source goods from their own region.  The money spent in this way provides over five times the benefit to the local economy.
    This is exactly the design of our business: to build local economic stability. And it’s becoming a national trend to think carefully about how we revitalize and redefine our local economies. This is not an easy task when we’ve grown dependent on so many goods from far away. But we start where we can, and put our best foot forward. In this spirit, we created a business to showcase the best of what our own region can offer us.
    At the Harvest Table, we work hard to source our food from this community and this region, and we’re proud to offer the freshest and best food around. In our General Store, most of our crafts and goods are from within an hour’s drive of this spot. For every dollar you spend here, over 90% stays in Meadowview and southwest Virginia: in the form of salaries, revenues to farmers and crafters, and local small businesses. Our CEO has no golden parachute (he donates his time). Our goal is economic stability for our town, come what may. We appreciate your business, and look forward to more collaborations with farmers, crafters, artisans and customers to build the economic future of this beautiful region.