When you spend a dollar at a local Alameda business, about 67 cents stays here. It pays wages, keeps doors open, and keeps people in their homes. When you spend that dollar elsewhere, it’s gone—absorbed by companies that will never have a stake in this community.
That’s not a slogan. That’s math.
And right now, the math isn’t working in our favor. Convenience is winning. One click at a time, one drive-through at a time, local dollars quietly leave the island. We don’t notice until a storefront goes dark—and then we wonder what happened.
Actually, we know what happened. We stopped choosing Alameda.
The good news is that local businesses are doing their part. The Feathered Outlaw, for example, draws tens of thousands of visitors each year through its events and markets—people who stay, eat, and shop. The new Alameda Gallery and Art Collective gives local artists a place to create and sell. These businesses aren’t just selling things. They’re generating foot traffic, circulating dollars, and building the kind of community texture and culture that no algorithm can replicate.
And when things get hard, they show up in ways that matter. When neighbors needed food assistance, Alameda Sports Cards & Comics partnered with Calafia with a simple message: If you have an EBT card—you can eat. No paperwork. No judgment. Just neighbors taking care of neighbors. That’s only possible when local businesses are healthy enough to give back.
The ask is simple: Shop with intention. Before defaulting to a national retailer or an overnight delivery, ask whether you can get it here first. Not every time, but more often than we do now.
Every purposeful dollar is an investment in the people and places that make Alameda worth living in. The businesses that feed your neighbors when they’re struggling. The galleries that give artists a wall. The shops that remember your name.
That’s what we’re voting for — every time we spend here.
Elissa Glickman is Executive Director of the West Alameda Business Association. WABA champions the economic success and cultural vitality of the Webster Street corridor and surrounding neighborhoods—connecting businesses, supporting our community, and keeping the spirit of West Alameda alive.
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