Look, we all love convenience. The ability to order a garden hose, a Himalayan salt lamp, and a suspiciously cheap 12-pack of socks at 2 a.m. is one of the great achievements of modern society. But here’s the truth: every time you click “Buy Now,” a small business in Clinton County sheds a single, perfectly tragic tear.
And that’s why shopping local actually matters.
Let’s break it down the way your cousin explains his get-rich-quick pyramid scheme: it’s simple math. When you shop at a local business in Frankfort your money stays here. It doesn’t fly off to a warehouse run by robots who’ve never eaten a pork tenderloin sandwich or attended a Hot Dog Festival in their lives.
Local businesses are the unsung heroes of “Oh crap, I need this today!” You ever try to return something to a giant online retailer? Suddenly you’re printing labels, taping boxes, and arguing with a chatbot named “Cynthia.”
You know who never does that to you?
The guy at the local hardware store who has been awake since 5 a.m. and somehow still greets you like he’s thrilled you walked in.
When you say, “I bought the wrong screws,” he doesn’t make you scan a QR code, solve a captcha, or sacrifice a goat under a full moon. He just hands you the right screws and tells you to have a nice day.
Local businesses support literally every community event. Parades. Sports teams. Spaghetti dinners. Pet rescues. Basket raffles. Pie auctions run by people who didn’t plan on auctioneering but somehow got dragged onto the stage anyway.
Meanwhile, Amazon has yet to sponsor a single Little League team in Clinton County. Not one. Your kid will never have “Amazon Prime Cardinals” on the back of their jersey. Sad.
“But I can save 3$ online.” Yes. And I could save money by cutting my own hair.
But we’ve seen what happens when people try that, and frankly, we don’t want that kind of chaos spreading through Frankfort.
When you shop local, you’re not dealing with a corporation.
You’re dealing with people like:
The lady at the boutique who compliments your shirt even though you she knows darn well it’s from the clearance rack.
The restaurant owner who pretends not to notice you’re back for a second smash burger.
The worker at the Hope Collective who knows exactly what you collect, your favorite era, and probably the names of your great-grandparents
You can’t get that on the internet.
Well… you can, but it usually involves targeted ads that make you feel mildly stalked.
Local businesses support KNS Radio and in return, KNS helps keep them in business by shouting their names across the internet. It’s a very wholesome cycle. Like chickens and eggs, or politicians and excuses.
Shopping local keeps Clinton County strong.
It keeps Frankfort vibrant.
It keeps local owners from collapsing into a dramatic heap every time someone says, “I can get this cheaper online.”
So next time you need a gift, a snack, a tool, or something you absolutely forgot about until the last possible second…
Stop by a local store.
Support a neighbor.
Save a business owner from quietly screaming into a dish towel in the back room.
Because here in Clinton County, shopping local isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the funny, chaotic, charming, community-saving thing to do.