Independent business owner Kimber Lanning knew Phoenix was in need of a local business alliance, so she stepped up and created one. "That's just my personality," she said. "I'm always the person who stands up and says, 'Yes, I'll do that.'" Local First Arizona (LFA), a statewide organization, now has 1,380 members.
When Bridget Rothenberger opened Nomad Bookhouse in historic downtown Jackson, Michigan, in December 2005, the bookstore was the only retail outlet on the street. But things are changing, Rothenberger said. The downtown area is starting to grow, and the once manufacturing town is taking a decidedly artistic turn.
As part of the American Booksellers Association's summer series of IndieBound information sessions, ABA COO Oren Teicher recently participated in a gathering of independent businesses organized by Larchmont, New York's The Voracious Reader.
As Americans gear up for next week's Fourth of July celebrations, ABA member booksellers are using IndieBound marketing materials to create or supplement their own unique "Independents" promotions.
With IndieBound Literary Liberation Box materials in hand, ABA member booksellers ranging from Bainbridge Island, Washington, to Woodstock, New York, are reaching out to other local independent businesses in their communities. Response from other indie retailers has been, in a word, "excited."
Though a good indie bookstore is a fantastic anchor for a vibrant Main Street, the bottom line is that a successful bookstore's happy customers will be happier still if their downtown offers other unique experiences.
IndieBound, the new American Booksellers Association initiative involving booksellers, readers, indie retailers, local business alliances, and others in a community-oriented movement that proclaims the importance and value of independent businesses, was the subject of a presentation at last week's 6th Annual BALLE Conference in Boston.
ABA Board members and local business alliance activists Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas, and Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshops in Naperville, Illinois, were the featured speakers at the American Booksellers Association's panel "Independent Retailing in 2008: A Report on the Shop Local Movement," moderated by ABA COO Oren Teicher, at BookExpo America.
In an effort to further expand the burgeoning localism movement, independent alliances will be gathering at regional meetings in various areas around the country to brainstorm and share ideas. Over the next two months, there will be regional gatherings in New Hampshire, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Michigan.
Find Independent Bookstores by Name, State, or ZIP
As part of the American Booksellers Association's summer series of 
As Americans gear up for next week's Fourth of July celebrations, ABA member booksellers are using 
