Guest editorial: Here's how to be a good neighbor

By Gene Dalhoff

Most everyone, it seems, likes to believe that they are a good neighbor. If their neighbor's dog is lost, they'll help find it. If they notice their neighbor's car's turn signal is not working, they'll point it out. If their neighbor needs someone to watch their child for a few minutes so they can run a quick errand, they'll do it. And if their neighbor can't clean the snow from his driveway for some reason, they'll make sure it gets shoveled. All these are examples of things a good neighbor does.

But there is another thing a good neighbor does that is every bit as important as the examples above, but receives very little attention. In fact, most people don't even think about it. And here it is:

A good neighbor supports his neighbor's business.

To understand this better, we need to expand our definition of what a neighborhood is. In terms of the local economy, our neighborhood goes beyond the homes, businesses, and people located within several hundred feet of our front door. From the perspective of our local economy, our entire community is our neighborhood. With this in mind, the business owners and employees of all Baraboo area businesses can be looked upon as neighbors. And a good neighbor takes care of and supports his neighbors.

Many years ago, there was a greater understanding of how supporting your neighbor's business was good for your community and, as such, good for you. This understanding contributed to the sense of community that towns enjoyed. It also helped the people of those towns get through economic downturns together. They leaned on each other and supported each other and understood why it was important to do so. But unfortunately, that understanding has faded in recent decades. Before the Internet, and before satellite and cable television (and looking even further back, before television), the average person's interaction with the world-at-large was much more focused on what was happening in their local community, including the connections between people, profit, and place. With that loss of focus has come a lack of understanding of those connections. As such, the average person no longer understands that being a good neighbor doesn't just mean helping to find a lost dog, but also includes supporting local businesses.

Let's take a look at one example of how some of these connections can work. Let's say you're thinking about buying a new sofa. If you buy the sofa, part of the money you'll pay will go to the owner of the store in the form of a profit. Perhaps he'll use some of that money to eat at a restaurant downtown that happens to be owned by your friend. That friend, in turn, might deposit his profits in a local bank where your brother-in-law happens to work. That bank, in turn, could use some of that money to finance the proposed expansion of a business that has been located in the community for three generations. In addition to providing new jobs, expansion of that business might include the purchase of new equipment from a local office supply store, generating profits for its owner, who happens to be your next door neighbor. With more sales, that business owner (your neighbor) might decide to give some of his profits back to the community by supporting the youth football program, in which your son happens to participate. And it just so happens that one of the volunteer coaches for youth football happens to be the owner of the furniture store you might buy the couch from ...

As odd as this chain of events might sound, this scenario is typical of what happens an untold number of times every day in communities where residents support their neighbors by supporting their neighbors' businesses. Now, look at this example in reverse. Go back through it and ask yourself what would happen to your neighbors, friends and family in your community if you decided to make your purchase out of town. (There will still be a string of financial support, but it will not be in your community.) Take away that stream of financial support and contributions in your community and you'll see a very different final outcome for the one transaction you're considering. Now multiply that result by thousands of such individual transactions and you can envision how a community can wither and die when residents don't support their neighbors' businesses. A community of neighbors would not allow that to happen.

So be a good neighbor. When possible, support your neighbor's business. It might not cost you anything more to buy local. If it does, try to look at that additional amount as your personal investment in your community; additional money you're willing to spend to keep the Baraboo area a strong community of good neighbors working together. Invest in your friend's business, your brother-in-law's job, and your son's football coach. Be a good neighbor today.

Gene Dalhoff is the Executive Director of the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce