Leaders from trade associations and other organizations representing independent businesses will come together on Tuesday, January 18, 2011, in Washington, D.C., for the Advocates for Independent Retail (AIR) Summit, organized by the American Booksellers Association.

Local businesses, community organizations, and independent alliances are gearing up to celebrate America Unchained! Day on Saturday, November 20. The annual event encourages consumers to devote an entire day to shopping locally.

Brookline, Massachusetts, home of Brookline Booksmith, now offers a debit card to promote local shopping.

American Express OPEN has joined with advocacy groups and public and private organizations to declare the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday. The first 10,000 business owners who sign up for Small Business Saturday will receive $100 in free Facebook advertising.

Durham, North Carolina, is getting its own local first organization thanks to the efforts of The Regulator Bookshop’s Tom Campbell. Independent Durham already has more than 20 retailer members and will launch its first campaign the week after Thanksgiving.

The American Independent Business Alliance Campaigns to Become “Unchained” on November 20; The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies Urges a Week of Buying Local from November 26 - December 5.

October 23 marks the inaugural Christian Store Day, spearheaded by CBA: The Association for Christian Retail as a way to honor independent Christian retailers for their dedication to local service.

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association is encouraging ABA members to help promote the inaugural celebration of Neighborhood Toy Store Day, set for November 13.

Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher with the New Rules Project and author of Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses, looks at grassroots financing of local businesses, including Brooklyn's Greenlight Bookstore, Oakland's  Awaken Café, and Hardwick, Vermont's Claire's Restaurant.

An interesting media meme has emerged in the last month: that there are unique opportunities for indie booksellers in a society of hyper-connectivity and technological saturation.