Support Dartmouth businesses and save money

By Joanie Veitch - The Weekly News
Buy local and save money. It's a simple message, and one that Thomas Nolte thinks is beginning to catch on.
Although it may sound similar to the "buy local" philosophy, encouraging consumers to buy Nova Scotia products, the Buy Local, Save Local program isn't concerned so much with where the products come from, but who's selling them.
"Buy Local, Save Local is all about supporting locally-owned and operated businesses. It's about caring for our community businesses," said Nolte, owner of Curves Dartmouth and Cole Harbour and the brains behind the new discount loyalty program. "This isn't about being against anything, it's just a way to support small businesses in your area. I know from experience that being a small business owner is challenging at any time, even more so during a recession."
Here's how it works: Business owners who sign on get a number of loyalty cards to sell to their customers for $20 per card. The business owner earns back their investment into the program by selling the cards, and the consumer reaps the discounts by shopping with participating businesses.
"It's a win-win all around," Nolte said.
Born and raised in Germany, Nolte moved to Bedford with his wife and two children three years ago. An entrepreneur for more than 20 years, Nolte came up with the idea of a discount membership card for independently-owned businesses after buying three Curves franchises last year. From June of this year to now, the Buy Local, Save Local program has grown from four members to 54.
"Something of this nature will obviously take time, but we've been talking it up a lot and the idea seems to be catching on," he said.
Deborah Moulton, owner of Moulton Optical in Cole Harbour, signed on two months ago.
"There's just about everything you could want here in Cole Harbour, but too often, people don't know what's here. What people don't realize is that if they don't support those local businesses, they could lose them. This is just getting going, but I think it's going to be amazing. It's a way to draw people in," Moulton said.
A great believer in networking, Nolte has partnered with similar initiatives in Europe - the Wedge Card in London and UNiK in Oslo, Norway.
Anyone interested in buying a membership card can either buy it online at buylocalsavelocal.ca or at one of the participating businesses.
joanie.veitch@gmail.com