Main Street/Shop Local

On November 17, the Saturday prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, some 48-plus communities around the country will be urging residents to shop at locally owned independent businesses for the day. It's all part of America Unchained!, the national celebration sponsored by the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA).

Chicago is not just a big city: it's a conglomeration of neighborhoods, each with its own unique flair and style. But over the past five years, local business owners and residents have seen some Chicago neighborhoods turn over to chain stores -- and bit by bit those areas are losing their unique character.

Over the past year, there has been a significant increase in the number of local business alliances, according to information from the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). Since August 2006, when BTW last published a list of independent business alliances and local first organizations, 26 new groups have been added to the roll.

In late fall, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) will be holding its first-ever IBA Leadership Gathering. The meeting will bring together both local alliance leaders and those who are looking to start an alliance in their communities, according to Jeff Milchen, the co-founder of AMIBA.

This week, the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) announced a new partnership with the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) that will help SIBA member booksellers initiate independent business alliances in their communities.

Though independent booksellers and independent musical-instrument retailers work in disparate industries, the two groups have common ground: They are facing intense competitive challenges from chain stores and mass merchandisers. Independent booksellers have responded with a number of initiatives -- from Shop Local movements to the Book Sense marketing program -- that have provided tools to help them compete with mega retailers.

The signs at Sunday's festival in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, announced: "One million sold."

That's not burgers or books, but BerkShares dollar notes, a currency adopted by towns in the Berkshire Region of New York state and western Massachusetts to support locally owned businesses and services.

In 2003, during the week of the Fourth of July, some 20 independent businesses in Tampa, Florida, led by Inkwood Books, joined together for a weeklong sales event to promote and celebrate independent businesses.

NEIBA Grants New England Independent Alliances Assistance

In a significant victory for proponents of the localism movement, on Monday, June 18, Maine's legislature approved a bill requiring cities and towns to study the economic impact of any proposed retail development exceeding 75,000 square feet and to approve only those projects that will not have a negative impact on the local economy.

California Supreme Court Upholds Cities and Counties Right to Ban Big-Box Stores

The burgeoning localism movement took center stage at the session "Localism ... Is the tipping point at hand?" -- part of the American Booksellers Association's information sessions on Saturday, June 2, at BookExpo America. Featuring Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future (Times Books/Henry Holt), the session looked at "local first" efforts and how independent retailers are working together to preserve the diversity of their communities.

Following the publication of an economic and market share analysis of the city of San Francisco that showed both a thriving local book market and the important economic value of locally owned businesses, the San Francisco Chronicle editorial page has weighed in with its opinion: "The message is clear: It's time to shop local."

Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) wants to level the playing field for all in-store, catalog, and online retailers so each has the same sales tax responsibilities.