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  • Shopping Locally

    Back in our prom days, we listened as one girl described her pricey gown and how it had been ordered from New York.  The gown sounded a lot like the one that we had bought at the original Filene’s Basement in Boston for $ 19.98.

    Come the night of the prom, and yes, the dresses were similar, except that the New York version had three quarter length sleeves, while ours were full-length.

    She (or rather her parents) paid a lot more for the mystique of buying from a distant source.   For the price of her gown, we had money left over for shoes, nylons, a wrap, and the tickets.

    Shopping locally can not only cost less, but also help the local economy.

    Buying locally from a locally owner business helps in multiple ways.  You can save money long term as well as immediately and also help your local businesses be there for you.  While not everything will be less, supporting local businesses can pay off in the long run, because you are helping the Framingham business community stay viable.  Not only is Framingham the richer for having a variety of shops and service providers,  the businesses are shouldering the larger tax burden.

    A number of studies have shown that even shifting 10% of purchases from large corporations to local businesses can create new economic activity and new jobs.

    Stacy Mitchell, researcher for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, says “At study that we did found that for every $ 100 spent in a chain store, $ 14 went back into the local economy.  For a locally owned business, it was $ 45.  Locally owned businesses buy a lot of services from other local businesses.  So by buying from one local business, you’re not only supporting that business, you’re supporting other local businesses.”

    In many cases the service is better, and you can park closer, too. 

    Who knows, you may walk in and discover that a neighbor, or someone you know from church or in another context, works there or runs the business.

  • Recycling Drop-Off Center

    The MetroWest Daily News published an Associated Press article about a method for bureaucracies to become more efficient.  The process, from Japan, is called kaizen, and is about working on continuous improvement.

    Kaisen involves the workers and looks at why things are done a certain way, mapping and breaking down each step, and eliminating and reducing as much as possible to streamline processes.  Kaisen helps to save time, increase task turnaround time, use resources wisely, and reduce government waste.  It engages employees and empowers them to make suggestions to improve their workplace and efficiency.

    The article put us in mind of the Town of Framingham Recycling Drop-Off Center, which has been evolving and showing continuous improvement.  It seems as though the DPW folks have taken the time to analyze what needs to be done to handle waste and keep tweeking the process.

    A few weeks ago a friendly greeter told us we could buy our 2009 permit stickers early as well as directed us into the best line for our drop-offs.

    At the December 2008 meeting of the Framingham Downtown Renaissance group, mention was made of a new permit that would be available for businesses as well as individuals.  Many small businesses will be glad to make use of that.

    The Framingham DPW may not know what “kaizen” is, but they seem to be practicing it.

    One thing we would like to see is a “put and take” or swap center so that usable items can be passed along to new owners instead of being scrapped.  In these tight times, it might really help residents as well as reducing waste removal costs.

  • Clara Barton and Framingham

    Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, who was known as “The Angel of the Battlefield” due to her extraordinary work in providing medical supplies to wounded Civil War soldiers, has Framingham connections. 

    As Massachusetts celebrates “Clara Barton Days” from December 25 – 31th, Framingham can claim Clara as a local heroine, even though she was born in Oxford, Mass.

    Clara was the daughter of Samuel Barton and Hannah Clayes Barton who moved from Framingham to North Oxford.  Hannah was the daughter of Sarah Clayes, one of the lucky women who escaped execution during the Salem Witch Trials.  Sarah’s story has been dramatized in the film “Three Sovereigns for Sarah.” 

    As a result of the witch hysteria and perhaps some undocumented help from Thomas Danforth, who was a judge in the witch trials and owned the land that they settled on, several families from Salem relocated to what became known as “Salem End” and then Salem End Road.  (The Clayes House stands in disrepair on Salem End Road in Framingham.)

    As a result of Clara’s work to help Civil War soldiers, in 1883 she was invited by the Governor Butler of Massachusetts, a former Union Army General, to return to Massachusetts and head up the Massachusetts Reformatory Prison for Women (now MCI-Framingham), the nation’s first women’s prison.

    She accepted a temporary assignment of six months and stayed for nine, making a very positive impact and proving that females could run the institution.

    There is a Clara Barton Museum, located on Barton Road, off Rt 12, in N. Oxford.  She is also honored with a plaque next to the statue of the Civil War Nurse in the Nurses Hall at the Massachusetts State House.

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