Local MarketPlace
As our Community Trade Coordinator counterparts begin to invite merchants across the region to accept payment in trade, they are asked the same question again and again:
“Where can I go to spend my Silver?”
If you are just getting started building your local barter network, this is a difficult question. Many merchants are unwilling to participate until they see an established group of others do it first, often referred to as “social proof”. While this is annoying, it is a reasonable concern for merchants, as they do not want to accept payment in trade, only to realize that there are no places to go to shop.
Though there are many ways to work around this dilemma (available from the AOCS MarketPlace Director), the simplest answer is this:
“You can always spend your Silver at the Ag Trading Post.”
So, the Ag Trading Post quickly became the cornerstone of our local Trade Economy. We invested time talking to fellow barter merchants, learning what they would want to purchase at our store, and went out of our way to develop relationships with manufacturers and producers that could supply such items. And this completes the barter equation: merchants accept payment in Silver and then exchange the Silver for goods and services they desire. We, in turn, take the Silver and purchase from producers that receive value from our patronage. As for what they do with the Silver…? Many save it as a store of value, that will most likely soon be worth more than accepted for in the first place. Others take it and shop at the participating businesses around town. Just like that, the cycle continues.
Through this link, you can view the Merchants participating in the GoLocal Dallas MarketPlace. We recommend that you enroll in the newsletter to receive weekly email updates, where you can learn first-hand of the latest developments in our local community.
If you are a Dallas-based Merchant and would like to trade with our group, please contact the GoLocal Dallas Trade Coordinator. If you are searching for a product or service and can’t find what you need in the MarketPlace, contact GoLocal Dallas Trade Coordinator David Gray and put him to work for you.
If you are outside the Dallas market, take a look at the AOCS MarketPlace for vendors accepting trade across the country.
