Cambridge Local First Celebrates Its First Year

It was a year ago that 12 Cambridge, Massachusetts, business owners met to discuss the creation of Cambridge Local First. On July 14, the group, including founding members Harvard Book Store and Porter Square Books, celebrated the anniversary of that first meeting ... with good reason.

Since Cambridge Local First's official launch in October 2005, the group has grown to 100 members, and it is successfully raising the consciousness of local community members about the importance of buying locally. "It was a great first anniversary party," said Frank Kramer of Harvard Book Store. "We have 100 members, and now we're working on the next 100."

One of the key reasons Cambridge Local First was created is "because everyone is feeling the brunt of the migration of customers to the Web," Kramer continued. "When you talk to local business operators, they tell you that 'customers still shop at our shops, they just don't spend as much.'" The group's objective is to educate the public that more money stays in the community when consumers make their purchases at locally owned businesses. "Citizens in Cambridge are more responsive," he said. "Most of them, they get it right away."

Porter Square's Dale Szczeblowski told BTW that part of his opening business plan was to become a community-based store. Cambridge Local First, he explained, was a great vehicle to drive home the message that shopping locally is better for the local economy. "We want to be a part of any group that promotes locally owned businesses," he said. "What I found the most compelling is, the economic studies conducted in Maine and in Austin are so clear that local businesses contribute more [money] to the local economy, and customers need to understand that."

Kramer noted that a number of booksellers have been at the forefront of the Local First movement, including David Bolduc, owner of Colorado's Boulder Bookstore and a founder of the Boulder Independent Business Alliance; Steve Bercu of Texas' BookPeople, co-founder of the Austin Independent Business Alliance; and Chuck Robinson of Village Books and of Sustainable Connections in Bellingham, Washington.

It was Sustainable Connections that spurred Kramer, along with Laury Hammel, co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and a Cambridge resident, and Simon Shapiro, owner of the hardware store Tag's, to finally get Cambridge Local First off the ground. Kramer believes that Robinson's group is one of the most well developed and successful alliances in the country. "What they've done is strongly tied to [making] local, living economies sustainable ... and preserving the environment," he said. "I had heard so much [about Sustainable Connections' success] ... and was envious and impressed. I was eager to get Cambridge Local First going."

Szczeblowski stressed that it was fortuitous that the group had Hammel's experience and leadership to help kick-start the group. Kramer "called some friends," and they all gathered at Laury's home for that first meeting. With Laury's experience as co-founder of BALLE, things started happening quickly, and by October 2005 the group had printed approximately 20,000 brochures and created window decals for members. "The large [window] decal is quickly recognized by customers," Kramer reported. "People ask about it and notice it."

Since its inception, Cambridge Local First has held fundraising events, one of which was a showing of the documentary Independent America in the large conference room of a local bank at the end of May. "About 60 people showed up," Kramer said.

"We got a nice little crowd there -- both business owners and the general public," Szczeblowski added. "There was a brief discussion afterwards. Community members there were very positive about finding ways to support local businesses."

Cambridge Local First has four membership levels. A business can become a "Business Member" at no charge and will receive brochures and plastic desktop brochure holders, window decals, a listing on the website, event and program announcements, a newsletter, and invitations to participate in all program projects. Membership fees range from $50 for a Non-Business Affiliate Member to $100 to become a "Founding Member" to $500 to become a "Sponsoring Member." The website offers newsletters, information about press coverage, and educational materials, such as "The Top 10 Reasons to Buy Local."

Cambridge Buy Local is planning a directory for the fall, Kramer said. And the group's biggest event to date is scheduled for October 26. "There will be a Cambridge Local First-sponsored event with Stacy Mitchell [senior researcher for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance]... that will be our first major public event," Szczeblowski reported. Mitchell is the author of The Home Town Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores ... and Why It Matters (ILSR) and Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses, which will be published in November by Beacon Press.

Overall, while there's no question that Cambridge Local First has raised consumer consciousness about where they spend their dollars. Kramer said, "I believe sales are better because of it, but things in my area ... are always changing.... We've been profitable for the past four years, and I need to keep that happening. I think we're part of a national movement. There's a groundswell of activity around the issue. So I do believe we are having an impact and are on the right course." --David Grogan