Main Street/Shop Local

Forty-six percent of independent merchants plan to incorporate Small Business Saturday in their holiday strategies, and a majority (67 percent) said they will offer discounts on November 24.

Independent Community Bankers of America has launched a campaign to encourage shoppers to buy locally this holiday season.

The Small Business Saturday Toolkit includes turn-key messages, logos, and banners to help spread the word, engage small businesses, and drive consumers to indies on November 24, one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Recently released studies focusing on the economic impact of indies in four different areas of the country have reached the same conclusion: Independent businesses return far more of their revenue to their local communities than do chains.

To help businesses and communities get ready for the November 24 celebration of Small Business Saturday, shopsmall.com features free marketing materials, tools, and other resources.

At the regional trade shows and via BookWeb.org, booksellers have been enthusiastically signing up for Thanks for Shopping Indie, the first-ever multi-publisher promotion exclusively for ABA member stores. To participate, stores must sign up by October 22.

Thanks for Shopping Indie, the first-ever multi-publisher promotion exclusively for ABA member bookstores, will give booksellers the opportunity to offer  an “extra” to customers on a broad range of 2012 Indie Next List titles. The promotion starts on November 24, Small Business Saturday, but to take part stores must sign up by October 22.

Thanks for Shopping Indie, the first-ever multi-publisher promotion exclusively for ABA member bookstores, will give booksellers the opportunity to offer  an “extra” to customers on a broad range of 2012 Indie Next List titles.

A new study conducted in Salt Lake City, Utah, has found that indies generate almost four times as much economic benefit for the surrounding region as do chains.

Booksellers across the country had high praise for Candlewick’s “Find Waldo Local” campaign, which resulted in increased traffic and sales at participating businesses. The popular month-long campaign left customers asking when the next scavenger hunt would be.

Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, has compiled some key points from a growing body of research that shows scale and ownership of business matter in ways that extend far beyond economic outcomes.

In July, people in cities and towns across the country will head out on scavenger hunts to find Waldo during a month-long series of events spearheaded by their local independent booksellers. The stores are all participants in “Find Waldo Local,” a campaign sponsored by Candlewick Press and ABA that aims to spur local shopping while celebrating Waldo’s 25^th anniversary.

The New England Local Business Forum last week in Cambridge, Massachusetts, brought together partners in the book, bike, and toy industries to create a diverse environment for sharing innovative ideas and learning how to better grow local businesses.

Economist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur Michael Shuman discusses some of the ways in which community members can shift their investments from Wall Street to Main Street and effectively revive the country’s sinking economy.

On Monday, April 9, Massachusetts retailers gathered at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge to announce the formation of the Massachusetts Main Street Fairness Coalition.