If local businesses created temp jobs, and hired local contractors, and bought/sold more local goods, us locals would have more money to buy more local goods! :-)

How about local stored hiring local folks to do bicycle delivery for shoppers who want to call up and order something? Or hiring local folks to do in-store gift wrapping? Or hiring local artists to design signs, posters, post cards, and displays for the stores? How about pledging to carry at least 50% locally created products in your store? The more money the local businesses put back into the local economy, the more the local economy will put back into the local businesses. :-)