Bozeman Bets Consumers Prefer to Buy Local

It's not often that consumers take it upon themselves to form an independent business alliance, but for Suzie Johnson ensuring that Bozeman, Montana, maintained its unique character was very important. So, several years ago, when she found out just how crucial it is for communities to support local independent business, she acted. In 2002, she founded the Gallatin Valley Independent Business Alliance, for which she now serves as president.

"[My husband] Dave and I [used to buy] willy-nilly, without thinking about it," Johnson said. "We would laugh about buying something at Wal-Mart." However, it was about six years ago that Johnson and her husband started hearing about the benefits of shopping locally and how a large chain like Wal-Mart can negatively impact a community. "There were some chain stores coming into Bozeman" and her husband, a ranch broker, was placed on Bozeman's "Big Box Task Force" to look at how chains would affect the region.

What became clear to Johnson was that Bozeman was unique and she wanted to keep it that way. In 2002, she met with the director of a downtown business alliance "and we sat around and asked, What do we do? We have a lovely downtown ... and we wanted to hold onto that."

Some Internet research pointed her to the Boulder Independent Business Alliance, which, in turn, led to a conversation with Jennifer Rockne, now of the American Independent Business Alliance. Soon after, GVIBA was born. "Eight of us began to meet weekly and for the past two to three years, a core of five us have been meeting each week," Johnson said.

The GVIBA website, gviba.org, outlines the group's four goals: to educate the public about the benefits of buying locally; to maintain the character of the community; to obtain community support for locally owned independent businesses; and to sustain and grow a healthy local economy.

Johnson explained that, in its first year, GVIBA "asked 30 businesses to come to a conference so we could ask what they wanted. One thing they said is, they did not want [GVIBA] to be political.... They didn't want to tear down big boxes, but wanted to build up small businesses. They wanted Bozeman to remain unique and not just be Anywhere, USA."

Today, the alliance boasts 225 members, one of which is The Country Bookshelf, which joined GVIBA shortly after it started. "As soon as they approached me," said The Country Bookshelf's Mary Jane DiSanti, who noted that about four years ago, a Barnes & Noble and Borders opened in Bozeman. "It's really important to support independent businesses to keep money in the community ... to keep independent businesses stable and successful."

To spread the word about the importance of buying local, GVIBA has placed "Think Local, Buy Local, Be Local" banners downtown. It also publishes a member directory once a year, and most recently began a Farm to Restaurant campaign that connects 30 restaurants with 30 regional producers. The campaign looks to "celebrate fresh, sustainable, local food served in area restaurants." In addition, the group's efforts have led to numerous articles about GVIBA in local newspapers.

DiSanti said that even though the Farm to Restaurant program does not involve stores like her bookstore, it still helps her in the long run, because it raises the public's awareness of GVIBA and its mission -- especially since the Farm campaign generated good press. "Every time they do something like that it helps us all, and GVIBA will continue to help more and more as it grows."

Johnson said the independent community in the Bozeman region is extremely vibrant. "Bozeman is doing so well it's hard to tell [the reason]," she said. "Very few [local businesses] have gone out of business... We have a good economy. It's a wonderful place." However, she does believe that GVIBA is causing consumers to think more about shopping locally.

For her part, bookseller DiSanti tries to make sure her customers know about the alliance. "Personally, I talk about it a lot. I really try to do some 'gentle' education," she said. "It's the kind of organization that takes a long time to grow. The longer it's here, the more awareness it will raise." --David Grogan