There is an interesting article in the March 1ST issue of Business Week magazine about the reasons to "buy local".  With our economy the way it is, the risk of retail stores closing has been increasing...and we certainly don't want that to happen in Aspinwall.  According to this article, "for every $100 spent at a locally owned store, $45 remains in the local economy, compared with about $13 per $100 spent at the national chains".  This is according to research done by the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance and the consulting firm Civic Economics.  "That's because independents tend to do their purchasing locally, while chains usually centralize it from a head office".  This research may be a bit biased, however even if they are close you can see that buying local makes a big impact in our region.