Everyone Does a Little, Together We'll Do A Lot

In late 2011, a blogger named Christopher Smith of Buffalo, New York posted an idea that could save small businesses, as we know them. His idea? Cash Mobs. This past Saturday was the first International Cash Mob day, which was celebrated in over 200 communities worldwide and has since taken the media by storm. The rules were simple: spend $20 at a local store, meet new people while you’re doing it, and have fun.

So, what is a Cash Mob? It’s social media, local business, and cold-hard cash working together to solve many community problems. According to Cash Mobs’ Wordpress site and general HQ, “The idea is to encourage people to go into small, local businesses and spend their money, en masse, to give the business owner a little bit of economic stimulus. We’d help businesses grow, we’d make people happy, we’d get stuff for ourselves, have a great time, and maybe we’d get a drink to celebrate afterward.” Simply said, Cash Mobs are individuals coming together to make a positive impact on businesses in their communities. 

Business owners have been awed by turnouts and grateful for the surge in business. Joe Reburn, owner of a silk-screening and letterpress shop in Virginia, was visited by a Cash Mob and was happy to say, “We did the equivalent of a Christmas shopping day in 45 minutes.” Independent book store owner David Ferrante noted, “[W]e have a very limited marketing budget and it brought in people who wouldn't have been here. It sounds corny but we really build a base one customer at a time." So, it’s no surprise that seeing hundreds of people in your shop, as well as an enormous swell in sales due to a Cash Mob, is really something to talk about.

The seasonal nature of the Island and its slightly isolated location cause many of the pains experienced by business owners, especially those who try and stay open during the off-season months. Everything here seems to be more expensive, for consumers and businesses owners alike. High cost of rent, oil for heating, and other utilities drive many to lock their doors, shutter the windows, and wait for the more prosperous summer’s return. 

Even the summer on-season, as opposed to the off, isn’t as long or prosperous as it once was. In these tough economic times people appear to vacation for fewer days and less frequently. What used to be a golden opportunity to make money, stretching from late May to early September, is now whittled down to a lean and mean eight weeks. Shops finding a way to weather the weather all year round often find themselves wondering if it’s worth the cost to stay open during those long and lonely winter weeks.

People of Martha's Vineyard come together to help one another through times of crisis; fundraisers are often organized in a moment’s notice whether you’re a victim of car crash or house fire. On an Island famous for its tightly knit community, but also at the mercy of a fickle tourism industry, it seems that Cash Mobs could be the perfect helper. Perhaps it’s not a total solution, but it’s a step in the right direction.

While the Island does not currently have a chapter of Cash Mobs, starting one here could be not only a great boon to local businesses but also to the sense of community and camaraderie we enjoy. Since we live in a free and democratic nation, high rent and free enterprise go hand-in-hand, but as the saying goes, you can vote with your dollar. Your purchases and where you make them make the difference. You can show the community you care, $20 at a time.