Main Street/Shop Local

When the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) announced that November 20 would be America Unchained day, Jennifer Rockne, AMIBA's director, noted that the event, which asked people to shop only at locally owned retailers in their communities, was organized primarily to be a "media" event, with the ultimate goal of helping community members comprehend the economic benefit that local businesses provide.

As senior researcher with the New Rules Project (a program of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance), a board member of the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), and author of the book The Hometown Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores and Why It Matters (Institute for Local Self-Reliance), Stacy Mitchell has become a leading advocate for indep

On Wednesday, November 17, Stacy Mitchell -- author of The Hometown Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores and Why It Matters (Institute for Local Self-Reliance) -- will speak at the University of Tampa in a fundraising event sponsored by the Tampa Independent Business Alliance (TIBA).

While many were disappointed by this week's election results, the local businesses of Hudson, Ohio, were very happy with the way at least one vote turned out. Residents of historic Hudson made crystal clear their support of local merchants and voted down Issue 25 -- which sought to change local zoning laws to increase the allowable square footage of retail stores -- by a resounding margin of two to one, according to Liz Murphy of the Learned Owl Bookshop in Hudson.

Southampton, New York, on the eastern end of Long Island, is a seaside town with a unique flair often associated with small villages where local, independent shops rule the roost. Part of its charm certainly lies in the fact that the town "has been spared a lot of superstore development," said Kathryn Szoka, co-owner of Canio's Books in Sag Harbor, one of the six incorporated villages of Southampton. And, according to Szoka, the community wants to keep it that way.

On Thursday, October 21, Civic Economics released a new, in-depth local economic impact study, "The Andersonville Study of Retail Economics," that once again clearly illustrates that local merchants contribute significantly more money to the local economy than do retail chains.

On Saturday, November 20, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) wants people to shop only at locally owned retailers in their communities. The nationwide event, America Unchained, evolved out of Austin Unchained, the Austin Independent Business Alliance's (AIBA) event held last November, said Jennifer Rockne, AMIBA director. "Last November, [AIBA] did this, and it was very successful -- they received a lot of great press, so we thought we'd do another [nationwide event] ...

The theme of this year's Great Lakes Booksellers Association fall trade show was "Making It on Main Street," and the GLBA plenary session on Sunday, October 10, focused on building local alliances to strengthen Main Street businesses.

This November 2, while people across the country take their turn casting a ballot for the next U.S. president, residents and merchants of Hudson, Ohio, will be asked to cast their vote on another matter that could significantly impact their future.

By Chuck Robinson