Main Street/Shop Local

27 Jul

Two Groups Foster Forest Park Independents

Over the past decade, the town of Forest Park, Illinois, situated about 10 miles west of Chicago, has gone through a retail transformation. Once overshadowed by the popular shopping destination of nearby Oak Park, Forest Park has become a haven for independent businesses, said Augie Aleksy, the owner of Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore.

Read More
26 Jul

Size-Cap Ordinance to Be Put to a Vote

An ordinance that placed a size cap of 60,000 square feet on new retail outlets in Ravalli County, Montana, has been suspended and will now be put to a vote in November.

Read More
20 Jul

Cambridge Local First Celebrates Its First Year

It was a year ago that 12 Cambridge, Massachusetts, business owners met to discuss the creation of Cambridge Local First. On July 14, the group, including founding members Harvard Book Store and Porter Square Books, celebrated the anniversary of that first meeting ... with good reason.

Read More
20 Jul

Independents Week: Becoming an American Tradition

As the number of independent business alliances springing up around the country grows, so too does Independents Week, an annual celebration of the value of shopping at local, independent businesses. Now in its third year, the weeklong event, centered on the Fourth of July, is fast becoming a staple of retailing in many American communities.

Read More
12 Jul

Preserving Maine Street: Buy Local Campaign Launches



On July 3, at a press conference held in downtown Portland, Maine, a group of independent business owners, led by two independent booksellers, celebrated Independence Day by announcing the launch of the Portland Buy Local campaign. The goal of the campaign is to educate the residents of Portland about the importance of supporting local, independent retailers.

Read More
22 Jun

IBAs Set to Celebrate Independents Week

From Saturday, July 1, through Friday, July 7, many communities around the country will participate in the third annual Independents Week celebration, an event created to educate the public about the importance of shopping at locally owned, independent businesses. The American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), a national outreach networking hub and resource center for independent business alliances (IBAs) and independent businesses, organizes the event.

Read More
13 Jun

BALLE Conference Draws Booksellers to Vermont

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) held its fourth annual conference, "Creating Sustainable Communities," in Burlington, Vermont, from Thursday, June 8, through Saturday, June 10. The event attracted people from various walks of life, including farmers, entrepreneurs, economists, authors, and a number of independent booksellers.

Read More
13 Jun

Size Cap Fight Renewed in Montana's Ravalli County

In April, the county commissioners in Ravalli County, Montana, unanimously passed a regulation placing a size cap of 60,000 square feet on new retail outlets. The expectation was that the ordinance -- the brainchild of Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana, and the Bitterroot Good Neighbor Coalition -- would keep a proposed Wal-Mart out of the county.

Now, it appears that the size cap ordinance is in jeopardy of being suspended.

Read More
01 Jun

All ABA Members Asked to Participate in Legislative Day Follow-Up

The American Booksellers Association is encouraging members who participated in its first-ever Legislative Day at BookExpo America, as well as those who did not, to follow up with their senators and representatives to encourage support for issues of import to independent booksellers. For those who met with their senators, representatives, or congressional staff, ABA suggests a note of thanks for the meeting would provide the perfect opportunity to reiterate their concerns.

Read More
31 May

Local Business Organizers Encourage Booksellers to Build Community Efforts

Booksellers attending the panel on local business alliances -- "Shop Local: Forming Business Alliances in Your Community" -- on Thursday, May 18, at BookExpo America heard from three seasoned organizers on behalf of local businesses who encouraged them to strengthen their efforts on behalf of both their individual businesses and their communities.

Read More
25 May

In Defense of Independent Businesses

Elaine and Bill Petrocelli, the owners of Book Passage in Corte Madera and San Francisco, most recently made the news with the announcement, on May 24 in California's Marin Independent Journal, that they plan to open a third store in Novato, California. However, since January, the Petrocellis and Book Passage have been in the news for another reason.

Read More
11 May

Paco Underhill's Bookstore 'Self-Exam'


Paco Underhill
Photograph by Wyatt Counts

Read More
02 May

Book Passage Community Meeting Garners Positive Feedback From Town

A community meeting to discuss the creation of policies that would require a review of proposed big box developments in Marin County, a suburb north of San Francisco, garnered positive feedback from some local politicians and residents, according to Bill Petrocelli, co-owner of Book Passage in Corte Madera, California.

Read More
27 Apr

Book Passage to Hold Community Meeting to Protect Local Independents

In response to Barnes & Noble's plans to move from its present location in Greenbrae, California, to a much larger space a block from Book Passage in Corte Madera, the bookstore is holding an onsite community meeting on Sunday, April 30. The gathering will serve as a forum to discuss municipal policies that would require a review of any proposed big box retailer to determine its potential effects on the community.

Read More
18 Apr

Huge Turnout Moves Hamilton Officials to Implement Size Cap

For Russ Lawrence of Hamilton, Montana's Chapter One Bookstore, April 12 was a "watershed" moment for Ravalli County, Montana. On that night, the county commissioners held a public hearing regarding a proposal to limit new retail development to a 60,000-square-foot size cap, a move that has the potential to bar a Wal-Mart from opening in the area.

Read More

Pages

About ABA

The American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book.

Independent bookstores act as community anchors; they serve a unique role in promoting the open exchange of ideas, enriching the cultural life of communities, and creating economically vibrant neighborhoods.

Contact

PRESS INQUIRIES: [email protected]

INDIECOMMERCE: [email protected]

ALL OTHER INQUIRIES: [email protected]

 

 

Copyright 2024 American Booksellers Association. BookWeb is a registered trademark of ABA.
Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Accessibility Statement