Every dollar counts: How your spending shapes Los Alamos

Determining the cost of participating in an economic blackout on a local level

In a small town, every dollar has a job: it keeps retailers open, artists creating, nonprofits afloat, and neighbors employed. But what happens when those dollars stop circulating locally? When residents opt out of spending locally in favor of convenience, speed, or the illusion of savings? The answer will unfold quietly in Los Alamos over the course of this holiday season as consumers make a choice of how to spend their hard-earned money.

Economic “blackouts” are calls to avoid certain retailers or types of spending and are often framed as a form of protest or to support personal budgeting in challenging financial times. But when a blackout extends to local businesses, even unintentionally, the impact lands hardest on the shops already operating on razor-thin margins. These are the places that don’t have billionaire owners or global reach to absorb slow weeks. They’re run by neighbors, staffed by locals, and embedded in the cultural life of this community.

Samizdat Bookstore in Central Park Square