There was a time when Buffalo, New York, had a vibrant indie community. But, like so many towns and cities across the country, over the years, the economic landscape slowly changed: the city started going through the painful process of deindustrialization, jobs disappeared, many indie retailers closed, and chains moved in.

While the local economy was certainly hurting, reports of the death of Buffalo had been wildly exaggerated, said Jonathan Welch, owner of Talking Leaves Bookstore, which has two locations in the city. The challenge was how to let people know about all that the city already has to offer and to restore the vibrancy to downtown.

"The economic climate in Buffalo over the past 20 years was a lot like the current economic climate in the rest of the U.S. now," said Welch. "People were trying to come up with ways to rebuild the city. Our argument was that there was still a strong and vibrant local economy, but it was hidden by all the negative stuff going on. Buffalo was being talked down." When you heard or read about Buffalo, he explained, it seemed that it was all about the factory closings or about how much snow the city gets. Eventually, Welch came to the conclusion that he and his fellow indies "should band together to promote our city."

Though it took a lot of hard work and little luck, in 2006, Welch helped found Buffalo First, a "nonprofit organization committed to building a more local, green, and fair economy in Buffalo, New York." The organization is part of the national Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).

Buffalo First came into being with the help of two young graduate students at the State University of New York at Buffalo. "Many years ago," said Welch, "in a very casual way, I tried to start a local first group, but I never had any time, so it never came about." About three years ago, the two students approached Welch to see if he was interested in creating a Local First-type of organization, and he enthusiastically agreed. "It took about six to eight months for it all to coalesce," Welch said, adding that one of those students, Amy Kedron, is now the group's founding executive director. Welch serves as Buffalo First co-chair.

Fortunately, the group did come together, because, if ever there was a city that needed a Local First group to remind its residents and lawmakers of the value of shopping locally it was Buffalo. At one time, it was an indie Mecca, Welch told BTW. "We opened Talking Leaves in the early 1970s," he said. "At that time, in the '70s and '80s, the city had between eight and 10 independent bookstores and a department store that sold books, a Walden Books, Little Professor.... By the early '90s, Borders had one store, and Barnes & Noble had two stores. Media Play had five stores. By the late '90s, there was only one independent bookstore left."

To help fill the void, Talking Leaves opened a second location in 2001 in a neighborhood where another indie bookstore had closed. And it did so by popular demand. "We were approached by people in that neighborhood who wanted us to open another location there," Welch said. "It's been a success. It's different from our original store, but it's turned out to be a good move."

Despite the city's many well-publicized downturns, Welch stressed that Buffalo has much to offer, including astounding architecture, the lake, the river, and a vibrant cultural life. He sees restoring the local economy as one way to take the focus off the negative aspects of the city and place the spotlight on what makes Buffalo unique.

When Buffalo First launched in 2006, it had 50 members. Today, it has about 200 and is in the middle of a membership drive. The group's inaugural event in 2006 was a "Buy Buffalo Bash," which drew several hundred people to Babeville, a former church converted to an arts center and recording studio by singer Ani DeFranco.

Since then, Buffalo First has hosted Independents Weeks celebrations in 2006 and 2007, and another Buy Buffalo Bash. During the Independents Week event, some Buffalo First members offered customers coupons to other members' stores. "If you bought something at one store, you'd get a coupon to buy something at another store," Welch explained. "That was a good beginning effort, though not a huge success. We felt it was worthy, though."

In 2008, the group devoted much of its time to incorporating as a 501c3 [nonprofit] and applying for and receiving a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo. "We were juggling things," said Welch, so instead of holding events, Buffalo First published a Buy Local coupon book in early December. The book, which contained 150 coupons from various local businesses, retailed at $10 and turned out to be a profitable venture. "We moved about two to three thousand coupon books," he said. "It not only paid for itself, it made money. Next year, we hope to make it bigger."

At present, the group is also applying for another grant and is working on a project in partnership with Buffalo State College.

Buffalo First has provided local businesses with a "fair amount" of positive media attention and as a result, Welch said, "it's clear in this community that there is much more sensitivity about the importance of shopping locally." --David Grogan