Slow Money & Slow Travel; Bikes & BerkShares

Suzanne Yeo, producer for ABC World News called today to say that the BerkShares segment will not show this weekend, but most likely next weekend. She will let us know the precise time, and we will pass on the information to you in advance of broadcast.

Suppose you are running errands Saturday afternoon with guests from out-of-town. Wouldn’t it be fun to take them shopping with BerkShares. Trouble is you forgot to go to Berkshire Bank, Lee Bank, Salisbury Bank, or Pittsfield Coop Bank to stock up on BerkShares before your guests arrived. What to do?

Guidos Fresh Marketplace, Bill’s Pharmacy, and the Berkshire Coop are providing a solution--they have signed up to be after-bank-hours BerkShare trading posts. Look for the signs that say “BerkShares: Keeping it Local. Available Here. 10 Berkshares for 10 dollars.” You can exchange federal dollars at an even amount for BerkShares.

The trading posts do not provide the 10% savings if you had planned ahead and gone to the bank where BerkShares are exchanged 10 BerkShares for 9 dollars, but they do provide you and your guests an opportunity to enjoy trade in BerkShares.

Our thanks to Guidos, Bills, and the Coop for providing this convenience to weekenders and others. If your business would like to offer the same service, please contact the office for signage and for placement on the web site.

Michael Gordon’s profile of Berkshire Bike and Blade follows.

Sincerely,
The BerkShares Team
BerkShares
P. O. Box 125
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-1737
www.berkshares.org

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Berkshire Bike and Blade

The crisscrossing country roads of Berkshire County thread through open fields and over rolling hills. With each turn and on every hilltop there is a view to inspire. Centuries of stewardship have preserved a landscape that is best experienced at a slower speed. A bicycle affords that slower pace and the reward of bringing yourself to these views under your own power.

Whether you are out for a Sunday afternoon cruise around town or are committed to lowering your carbon footprint, a bicycle is the perfect vehicle. It is fitting for our community's pace of life and convenient for shopping at our local stores. But before you can enjoy these benefits, you have to get the bike. With BerkShares you can buy that bike and also support the local economy so that you have places to ride to.

Steffen Root, co-owner of Berkshire Bike and Blade, believes that customers who walk through his door with BerkShares in their wallets are "making a commitment to supporting the local economy." Before even considering the purchase of a bike they had made their decision. When holding BerkShares, with your mind on a new bike, all you have to do is look at the business directory to see that Berkshire Bike and Blade will be your destination.

Root says, "The hardest part of business is gaining new customers." BerkShares bring customers in by making transparent the beliefs behind the business. "[Customers] know they are spending locally when they use BerkShares."

So far Bike and Blade has sold a handful of bikes to customers using BerkShares. These large purchases show that the currency is changing the habits of local shoppers. They are again, or for the first time, getting used to shopping with cash.

Root believes that "as more currency goes into circulation, the ten percent exchange rate dissolves." Big-ticket purchases, such as bikes, require that businesses become creative with the recirculation of BerkShares. Just redeeming large numbers of BerkShares represents a visible loss of income. The answer is more exchange between businesses. Root has increased his advertising with the Berkshire Record because they take BerkShares. He also gave BerkShares as an end of the year bonus. These uses allow BerkShares to continue circulating at full value

Additionally, he believes that the discount is offset by the increased visibility brought to his business by the BerkShares program. With print advertisements, guides, and media coverage, BerkShares is repeatedly bringing attention to the participating businesses.

Berkshire Bike and Blade offers not only a great selection of bikes for kids to race enthusiasts, but also a commitment to our community. They are selling community oriented vehicles and taking in community oriented currency. Purchasing a bike in BerkShares will have both you and your money circulating around town in a new way.

By Michael Gordon