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Local Businesses Finding Power in Numbers
Printer-friendly versionSince the late 1990s, the number of independent business alliances (IBAs) and local first organizations (LFOs) has grown steadily. Today, there are IBAs and LFOs in 26 states -- some affiliated with the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) or the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and others unaffiliated.
Booksellers have been among the first to recognize the importance of these organizations for their own survival, as well as for the preservation of the uniqueness of their communities. And now there is a growing body of evidence confirming that by working with other independently owned businesses retailers can become more profitable.
As part of its continuing coverage of Main Street issues, and using information gathered from the respective websites of AMIBA and BALLE, BTW has compiled a list of IBAs and LFOs and their bookstores members. This list will continue to evolve and grow, and it most likely does not include every community effort. If your alliance or local first campaign is not listed, please let us know by contacting Senior Editor David Grogan at [email protected].
Watch for a feature article that takes an in-depth look at the growth of local business alliances in an upcoming issue of Bookselling This Week.
|
STATE / Coalition Name |
Bookstore members |
|
Arizona |
|
|
Flagstaff Independent Business Alliance |
|
|
Arizona Chain Reaction |
Changing Hands Bookstore |
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California |
|
|
BALLE Napa Valley |
|
|
Petaluma Independent Business Alliance |
|
|
San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Association |
Alexander Book Co. |
|
Colorado |
|
|
Boulder Independent Business Alliance |
Boulder Book Store |
|
Pike's Peak Independent Business Alliance |
Bookman |
|
Florida |
|
|
Tampa Independent Business Alliance |
Inkwood Books |
|
Georgia |
|
|
Inspiring Futures |
|
|
Illinois |
|
|
Forest Park Main Street/M2 |
Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore |
|
Indiana |
|
|
Harrison County Independent Business Alliance |
|
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Kentucky |
|
|
Louisville Independent Business Alliance |
Carmichael's Bookstore |
|
Maine |
|
|
OurTown Damariscotta |
Maine Coast Bookshop |
|
Portland Buy Local |
Books, Etc. |
|
Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility |
|
|
Massachusetts |
|
|
Responsible Business Association of Greater Boston |
|
|
Cambridge Local First |
Curious George Goes to Wordsworth |
|
Pioneer Valley BALLE |
|
|
Roslindale Board of Trade |
|
|
Michigan |
|
|
BALLE West Michigan |
Aspire Books |
|
Living Economy Network (LEN) |
Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Teahouse |
|
Minnesota |
|
|
Metro Independent Business Alliance |
Magers & Quinn Booksellers |
|
Missouri |
|
|
Columbia Locally Owned Retail & Services in Action (COLORS) |
|
|
BUILD St. Louis |
The Book House |
|
Montana |
|
|
Gallatin Valley Independent Business Alliance |
The Country Bookshelf |
|
Bitterroot Good Neighbors |
Chapter One Book Store |
|
Nevada |
|
|
Truckee Meadows |
Sundance Bookstore |
|
New Mexico |
|
|
Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance |
Bookworks |
|
Santa Fe Alliance |
Collected Works Bookstore |
|
New York |
|
|
Warwick Independent Business Alliance |
|
|
North Carolina |
|
|
Raleigh Independent Business Alliance |
Quail Ridge Books & Music |
|
Oregon |
|
|
Corvallis Independent Business Alliance |
The Book Bin |
|
Sustainable Business Network of Portland |
Annie Bloom's Books |
|
Thrive |
|
|
Pennsylvania |
|
|
Sustainable Business Network (SBN) Philadelphia |
The Doylestown Bookshop |
|
South Carolina |
|
|
Greenville Independent Business Alliance |
The Open Book |
|
Texas |
|
|
Austin Independent Business Alliance |
BookPeople |
|
Homegrown El Paso |
Cactus Cafe & Bookshop |
|
Memorial West Merchants Association |
Blue Willow Bookshop |
|
Utah |
|
|
Salt Lake Vest Pocket Coalition (Utah Local First) |
The King's English |
|
Vermont |
|
|
Local First Vermont |
Book Rack & Children's Pages |
|
Virginia |
|
|
Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance |
Book Rendezvous |
|
Northern Neck Independent Business Alliance |
Paperback Writer |
|
Washington |
|
|
Sustainable Connections |
Village Bookstore |
|
BALLE Seattle |
Third Place Books |