Fairhope, Alabama, a city of approximately 12,000 residents, is in the midst of an ongoing fight to keep big box retailers, including Wal-Mart, out of its surrounding area. This past August, a group of concerned citizens -- including bookseller Karin Wilson of Fairhope's Page & Palette bookstore -- formed "A Fair Hope of Success," to ensure the continued viability of Fairhope's downtown businesses. "A Fair Hope" formed in response to rumors of a Wal-Mart opening in the area.

Susan Porter's bookstore, Maine Coast Book Shop, is nestled among a wide variety of small shops on the historic Main Street of Damariscotta, Maine. The town -- with a population of approximately 2,000 -- is located some 30 miles south of Augusta on the banks of the river that gave the town its name. Damariscotta's idyllic colonial charm attracts people who want to live in a place that's different, away from suburban sprawl. It's unique, with one-of-a-kind charm, noted Porter.

By Carolyn Said, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer

Last year, Neal Sofman had a eureka moment in response to a wonky economic analysis of locally owned stores compared with chain retailers.

While some people go out of their way to shop at only independents, one couple has taken it a little bit farther -- 13,000 miles farther to be exact.

For Karen Spengler, owner of I Love a Mystery bookstore, there's no real mystery as to why her town of Mission, Kansas, should rethink the idea of allowing a Borders to open in the suburb of Kansas City: It's all simple economics.

As big box retail continues its onslaught on towns throughout the USA -- often dominating the local retail landscape in many cities and towns -- one local business alliance in Utah is helping its citizens envision what their communities and towns would look like if they were made up entirely of chain retail outlets by drawing them a picture. Literally.

On the last Saturday before Thanksgiving, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) wants retailers and consumers across the country to join in the second annual celebration of America Unchained.

Fairhope, Alabama, a city of approximately 12,000 residents, which prides itself on "the storybook charm of its shops and flowers," is in the midst of a battle to keep big box retailers, including Wal-Mart, out of its surrounding area. Among the group of concerned citizens who organized as "A Fair Hope of Success" to ensure the continued viability of Fairhope's downtown businesses is bookseller Karin Wilson of Fairhope's Page & Palette bookstore.

The American Booksellers Association recently joined the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Community Pharmacists Association, and the National Cooperative Grocers Association as a plaintiff in an antitrust lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut. The suit alleges that Visa USA Inc. and MasterCard International Inc., as well as major banks and credit-card companies, colluded to fix interchange fees.

Gayle Shanks on the Importance of Independent Retailers

Changing Hands Book Store in Tempe, Arizona, was recently honored by the Center for the Advancement of Small Business at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University with a 2005 Spirit of Enterprise Award, recognizing ethics and excellence in entrepreneurship. In accepting the award on behalf of the entire store, co-owner Gayle Shanks spoke eloquently about why "independent, local ownership is the essence of our unique American experience."