I bought a riding lawnmower last week. This was a first for me. Up until December of last year I had lived all of my 44 plus years in town. A good push mower is all you need in town. But big yards require big stuff, or as my wife says, "bigger toys". And so I launched out to purchase my "lawn tractor", as they are referred to today.

My first stop was of course the big home centers and retail chains. They always have rows of shiny lawn tractors lined up in neat rows strategically placed in front of the store to catch your eye on your way in. One big home center in Monroeville had a special deal on financing. Two years without a payment. But when I asked the young lady at the info desk if that meant I could have two years without a payment and still have an open credit line at their store she answered most assuredly, "Oh no, no way. If you charge the $1,300.00 lawn tractor you have no payments but it will of course lock up you entire credit line." Hmmmmmmm….. didn't seem much of a deal to me. Thirty miles later I'm at the next store, a retail chain.

At the next store I found a great array of mowers but no great deals just something like; "forever low prices", and upon close inspection, parts bent and missing. Must be tough keeping up with the maintenance of immobile lawn tractors. Made me a bit nervous about how they would care for my tractor in the years ahead. I had pretty much had enough searching for big retail chain lawn tractor deals.

With my gas tank empty from the 140 mile round trip tractor expedition, I headed back to the Kiski Valley. I landed at Frank "Skeets" Cain's Toro Sales in Washington Township. Frank is one of our Kiski Valley Today advertisers and since I had now wised up to buying local, I figured I'd give him first shot. To make this long story short, Frank and his staff made me a "local buying convert". From the moment I walked through their door they cared for me with a level of customer service and attention to details like I have seldom seen. They listened to my needs. They sold me exactly what I needed in the price range I desired and a short while later Frank himself delivered the lawn tractor to my doorstep. Then he patiently instructed me in every part of the tractor's care and upkeep right down to the grease fitting locations and a personal field test across my lawn. And finally before departing he threw his arm over my dad's shoulder and gave him some free advice on how to get better performance out of a cultivator he had rented earlier in the day to help dig up my wife's garden. Amazing. And two days later I get a personal card in the mail thanking me for my business.

You just cannot get this type of hometown relationship based service from retail chains in towns 35 miles from our valley. Before Frank Cain left my house he shook my hand and told me to just give him a call if I needed anything. I've never heard anyone working a checkout line tell me that. Today I own a great lawn tractor and I have confidence that if and when I need service this man will deliver. I believe this is true of most all of our local business people. I have witnessed their service and dedication many times. Just last month our son needed a bow tie for a school play. My wife priced them at the larger stores. Ridiculously expensive! Miles away! When she told the owner of Malcolm's clothing store in Vandergrift he lent her one free for a week. Guess who gets our prom tuxedo business?

I had always considered myself a faithful local buyer. In the past I have always attempted to use as many local venders as possible for my business and personal purchases. But now, I am a hard core "buy local" convert. Buying local is smart buying. After you figure in time, gasoline and the dozen little things you end up buying on a 35 mile shopping trip, you usually save money buying local. Buying local returns more money to our communities in a multitude of ways including more and better paying jobs, increased real estate values, stable population growth etc.. And the benefits to our children are even more important. If you've ever visited a local football game, school concert or any one of the dozens of local youth organization events, you have seen event programs containing ads paid for by small local businesses. Local small businesses invest many, many thousands of dollars each year sponsoring local scholastic, athletic, cultural and social programs for people of all ages in the Kiski Valley.

I figure this type of investment deserves, at the very least, a visit to their establishments before we run off to the glitz and glamour of a distant mall filled with national retail chains who likely don't even know the Kiski Valley, or you, exist.

Our local Internet Access company, HighVision Internet Access, gets a call or two every month from one of our customers who decide to try another larger Internet access company thinking they will be better off with a big name provider. Inevitably they give us the greatest of compliments when they return to us bearing horror stories of poor customer service, bad connections and indifferent treatment. We love it. HighVision Internet Access, like all of our local small businesses, has built a reputation on personal service. This investment is very costly to small businesses, but in the long run proves to be the honorable choice.

Maybe we can get back to the days when we all knew each other. When we all talked and had good long visits at the local store. Those days when a shopping trip meant a walk downtown, or a quick drive to the community market just over the next hill, or a jaunt ten miles up the road to the next little town. Yes indeed, we could all have a good long visit together. Someone recently told me those days are gone forever. I disagree. I believe they are on their way back.

I say shop smart, shop local, and enjoy a good visit with the business owners in and around the Kiski Valley who sincerely care about us and who put their reputations on the line every day in service to us. Seems the thing to do.

I'd like to know what you think. Visit www.kiskivalley.com to drop me an e-mail about your thoughts, or send your comments to; Kiski Valley Today, 274 Franklin Avenue, Vandergrift, PA 15690. I look forward to hearing from you.