Local businesses and organizations will be setting up shop in Armory Square for this year’s Buy Local Bash on Nov. 25.

The event, held by SyracuseFirst, will be at the Museum of Science and Technology downtown.  The purpose is to raise visibility and viability of locally owned, independent city businesses, said Chris Fowler, executive director of SyracuseFirst.

People can attend the Bash for $25, which will feature local restaurants, wineries, craft brewers, artisanal distilleries, retailers and artists, Fowler said. There will also be live art and two stages for live music, and the event will run from 6:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m., he added.

The Bash is a part of SyracuseFirst’s Buy Local Month, which includes events such as Plaid Friday on Nov. 29, an event that encourages visiting local, independent stores instead of malls on Black Friday.

This year marks the fourth annual Buy Local Bash ­– the biggest one yet — with about 60 local vendors compared to last year’s 35, Fowler said.

Graham Reynolds, manager of Recess Coffee, said the Buy Local Bash is an important event that can help local businesses set themselves apart from chain businesses.

Reynolds said the coffee shop sometimes struggles to compete with larger coffee chains in terms of marketing.  “They are marketing giants, whereas we do our advertising in local magazines and papers,” he said.

He added that what the coffee shop lacks in marketing, it makes up for in promoting local pride, such as purchasing ingredients from local businesses.

Along with participating in the Buy Local Bash, Recess also attends local Salt and Pepper markets, and other table vending events, Reynolds said.

Esther Houston, owner of 83 and Company, a custom-order online pastry shop, said she encourages community members to visit the Buy Local Bash and shop local in order to be better citizens of their community.

“Buying local is so important, as it can give people a feel for the city they’ve been living in by introducing them to the products and special items specific to Syracuse,” Houston said.

83 and Company will be participating in the Buy Local Bash by featuring their specialty pastries, which are made using locally bought ingredients, she added.

Houston said she competes with larger, chain businesses in the area by specially creating her pastry for each customer.

“If you go to chain stores, it’s all cookie-cutter, each item in each location has to look the same,” Houston said. “We’re not bound by that.”

Mike Woloszyn, co-owner of Lune Chocolat, said the draw of the Buy Local Bash is being able to interact with other local businesses, as well as customers. This will be Lune Chocolat’s third year participating, and he said they’ve enjoyed finding ingredients from other local vendors for their specialty chocolate.

Lune Chocolat specializes in handmade chocolates with no preservatives and unconventional ingredients, Woloszyn said. At a previous Bash, he said they were able to purchase peppers from another local vendor which they used in their chocolate.

Woloszyn said he encourages community members to support local businesses in order to keep money in the local economy.

“We’ve estimated that for every dollar spent in the store, 75 percent stays in the community,” Woloszyn said, “I’d be willing to bet that in large retailers and chain businesses, no one can say the same.”

Published on November 13, 2013 at 1:04 am

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