Ten Reasons for Shopping Locally - New London, NH

Here is a re-print an article by Jessie Levine, New London NH’s town administrator on the benefits of shopping locally. To read Levine’s entire article (12/7/2010) titled “Budget Update & Shopping Locally,” visit the New London town website.

By Jessie Levine

You may have noticed that we have some new residents in New London, as the nutcracker soldiers began showing up around town early last week. The nutcrackers are the brainchildren of Destination New London, a group of local businesses working together to encourage people to shop locally this holiday season (and always). I thought I’d take this opportunity to remind everyone why I think shopping locally is important to New London.

Protect Local Character and Prosperity: By supporting locally-owned businesses, you maintain our unique and wonderful community. Our local businesses are here for us – let’s shop here for them!

1. Enhance Community Well-Being: Locally-owned businesses are good neighbors and contribute to local causes. If we don’t support our local businesses, they will not be here to support our special events, golf tournaments, raffle fundraisers, etc.
2. Encourage Local Decision Making: Local ownership means that decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions. Local businesses are caring and responsive to our needs.
3. Keep Dollars in the Local Economy: Dollars spent in locally-owned businesses have three times the impact on the community as dollars spent at national chains. Money spent in catalogs, on-line or in destination shopping centers does not come back to support our local economy.
4. Create Jobs and Improve Wages: Shopping locally creates jobs and promotes community development. Locally-owned businesses create local jobs with better wages and benefits.
5. Support Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship fuels our economy and elevates our families. Empty store fronts do not.
6. Reduce Public Costs: Local stores in town centers require less infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services than big box stores and shopping malls do.
7. Advance Environmental Sustainability: Local stores help sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers, which reduce sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution. Save gas – shop here!
8. Increase Competition: A competitive marketplace of small businesses ensures innovation and low prices. A rising tide raises all ships.
9. Encourage Product Diversity: A multitude of small businesses selecting products based on the needs of local customers guarantees a broader range of product choices.

Why would you want to deal with Route 12A traffic, anyway? West Lebanon could really use a few roundabouts…

Remodeling a House with Fire Damage

One of our projects is for a new two-story addition and remodel to a home damaged by fire last year in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Thankfully the fire was contained and only one wing was lost.  

Our architects are working directly with our clients to design the addition to closely match the existing house while taking advantage of the opportunity to make updates to the floor plan.

The ground floor in the new wing has an open kitchen and generous pantry, as well as a breakfast nook overlooking a three season porch.  A new two-story tower will conveniently house a stairway to the second floor Master Bedroom and a sitting area above the porch below.

To see other work by our residential architects, visit our online portfolio.

Vermont Custom Cabinetry

Are you building a new home?  If so, you know the kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the house.  Picking cabinetry is one of the bigger decisions you'll make.  We’ve been introduced to Vermont Custom Cabinetry – and if you haven’t seen their beautiful cabinetry, you should plan to visit one of their showrooms.

As you would expect, Vermont Custom Cabinetry hand-selects their woods for color and quality, then cuts and assembles each component to meet the specific requirements of your project. Each piece is hand-finished to your taste and carefully blanket-wrapped for delivery and installation in your home.

Let’s face it:  you want your cabinetry to be as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.  Vermont Custom Cabinetry creates exciting designs with specialty features and accessories to make your life easier and to complement any room, style or décor. They have a wide array of racks, dividers, pull-outs, shelves, lazy susans and more to accommodate all your work and storage needs.

Beaded Inset

Flush Inset

Frameless

Of course you want quality. One of Vermont Custom Cabinetry’s most important assets is their reputation.  They continually upgrade their materials and construction to ensure quality both in aesthetics and construction.

Talk to Bonin Architects about your new home design.  Our staff can guide you through the process of designing a custom home and design each interior space – kitchen, living areas, and private areas such as bedrooms and baths – around your site and your lifestyle.

Marvin Windows Lunch & Learn

Here’s some great information we heard today from AW Hastings representative, Joe Orsino, about Marvin:

Design flexibility and custom options:  Choose from seven interior wood species, nineteen clad colors, multiple glass and hardware options.  They also have limitless divided lite patterns.

Performance:  Marvin windows and doors resist the most extreme elements.  Each window is crafted with real wood throughout, and the exteriors feature extruded aluminum cladding, which is stronger than roll-form aluminum. 

Energy Efficiency:  All Marvin products meet or exceed federal ENERGY STAR® guidelines and a variety of energy-efficient glass options to meet any need.

Delivery details:  They pay attention to builders’ suggestions in packing and delivering their windows and doors.  For instance, doors are delivered with handles on the side, making it easy for builders to unload.  Another detail you will appreciate:  window hardware mechanisms come attached to the windows so they don’t get lost on site!

Green homes start with green home design.  Call Bonin Architects to see how we can help you design an energy efficient home that will reduce your heating and cooling costs!

NH Lakefront Cottage Renovation

One of our recently completed projects is the renovation of a lakefront cottage on Pleasant Lake, New London, New Hampshire.

The property was subdivided and had originally had two cabins on it. A cabin on “The Point” was torn down to open up the lake view from the other cottage. Some of its materials were salvaged for use in the main cottage renovation.

The new cottage serves as a three-season entertainment area for family and friends with lakeside access and wonderful seasonal views.

Master Planning of the lot for a future primary residence was also completed, accounting for CSPA lot coverage, setbacks and storm water management.

Photos by Great Island Photography, LLC

Lake Sunapee Home

One of our latest designs is a Lake Sunapee home  for an older couple, their children, and grandchildren.  The cottage style home fits in nicely with the architecture around the lake.

Goals of the home are energy efficiency, one floor living for the parents, and well-designed common and private areas for each family.

The project is in the design development stage, where we determine spatial requirements and accurate dimensions for rooms and areas, as well as outdoor space for entertaining.  Broad material choices are being made in this stage of the home design.  One or more meetings will be dedicated solely to the kitchen design to choose appliances and their location, cabinets, flooring, counters, and special requirements for the owners.

Kim Bonin, Bonin Architects, Receives BNI Award

September 16, 2010:

Kimberly Bonin, of Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC, New London, was named the Member of the Year of the Lake Sunapee Region Business Network International Chapter.



The Member of the Year Award recognizes a BNI member for their attitude, attendance, quality of referrals, and contribution to the growth of the chapter. Bonin was presented with the award at the BNI Regional Conference awards dinner in Portsmouth. Almost 200 members were present to honor directors and members from New Hampshire, Maine, and Western Massachusetts at the Regional Conference.


"Kim was selected unanimously by the members for this recognition and we congratulate her on this most deserved honor. By developing meaningful relationships with our local quality business professionals, she has earned the distinction of passing the most referrals which generated much valuable business to chapter members in a stalled economy. These relationships have proven to be a real asset to us all as she has successfully matched the wants and needs of her clients and friends with skilled professional vendors who have excellent reputations in the community,” said Deane Geddes, of Country Houses Real Estate and President of the Lake Sunapee Region BNI Chapter.


About Kimberly Bonin:


Kimberly Bonin is a Principal Partner and Project Manager of Bonin Architects & Associates, a national architectural firm licensed in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York. In addition to the Lake Sunapee Region BNI where she serves as a Visitor Host, Kim is a member of the Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce, the Timber Framers Guild, and ParentLinks, a support group for parents who have children with Autism or Social Cognitive Issues.


About BNI


Started in January 1985 by Dr. Ivan R. Misner, Founder & CEO of Business Network International., BNI provides a positive, supportive, and structured environment for men and women to further their business through word of mouth marketing.


Photo: Deb Johnson, Ledyard National Bank; Jeremy Bonin & Kimberly Bonin, Bonin Architects; Cathy Murray, Ledyard National Bank; Jackie Lampiasi, Bonin Architects