Why supporting local businesses matters more than ever

In 1929, my grandparents, Dorothy and Len Myers, opened Myers Maid-Rite in downtown Iowa City on Washington Street across from the University of Iowa. As a child visiting them, I remember falling asleep on the couch with the soft glow of the neon sign shining through the window. Many shop owners, like my grandparents, lived above their stores. I would sit for hours watching students walk to and from class, never realizing that I was witnessing the heartbeat of a community.

Some of my earliest memories are sitting on the counter stool, watching my Grandma Dorothy greet customers by name as she wrapped up lunches to go. What I remember most were the smiles … the hellos … the “How are the kids?”… and the stories — so many stories. People didn’t just come in for coffee or a sandwich. They came because they felt seen.

I grew up hearing about my Grandpa Len and his morning routine. After the breakfast rush, he’d make his way around downtown, stopping into local shops to chat with the owners — Babe Hand from Hands Jewelers, Kris and Katie Lutz at their shoe repair shop, and others. My father, Sug Myers, carried on that same tradition when he took over the business in 1965. After the rush, he’d visit Moe Whitebook from Whitebook’s Clothing, Lloyd Burger from Bremer’s, and get his shoes shined by Clay. These weren’t just business interactions — they were relationships. They were community.

By 1975, when we opened Buc’s Leathers downtown, I found myself following in those same footsteps. Fellow business owners became friends: Jean and Victoria Gilpin from Preferred Stock; Sherri and Ed Zastrow from Bushnell’s; Paul and Craig from Austin Burke; Phil Shive from Sweets and Treats; Tom and Marcia Wegman from Things & Things; the Claytons from The Soap Opera; Ernie Lehman from Enzler’s; Bill Nusser from Hands … the list could fill a page.

We were a thread woven through the fabric of downtown Iowa City — a thread made of relationships, loyalty, generosity, and pride in our community. These were the people, just like my grandparents and parents before them, who knew your name. They showed up for every school raffle, every auction, every nonprofit, every neighbor who needed help.

So why am I sharing this story now?

Because we are losing this thread.

Because the connection that once defined our community has begun to fray.

Because small businesses — the heart and memory keepers of our towns — are struggling.

Local businesses are more than storefronts.

They are gathering places.

They are mentors.

They are sponsors of Little League teams and community events.

They are the ones who donate when schools or nonprofits ask for help.

They are the storytellers, the memory makers, the people who invest both their dollars and their hearts into where we live.

When we lose small businesses, we lose culture.

We lose character.

We lose connection.

Shopping local isn’t just an economic choice — it is a community choice.

It is a vote for relationships over transactions, for neighbors over anonymity, for preserving the places where people know your name and genuinely care how you’re doing.

My hope — and my ask — is simple:

Let’s not lose the thread.

Let’s remember that strong communities are built not by large corporations, but by the people behind the counters — the ones who greet us with a smile, ask about our children, listen to our stories, and show up again for the place we all call home.

Support local.

It matters more than ever.

Roxanne Erdahl is a longtime Johnson County business owner and Business and Life Coach through her company, Erdahl Coaching.