Main Street/Shop Local

School ban on Perks of Being a Wallflower overturned; Where’s Waldo? hits a milestone; U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey appointed to second term

The American Independent Business Alliance’s 11^th Annual Independents Week will be celebrated from July 1 through July 7. Bookstores will find a wealth of resources on the AMIBA website for use in organizing Independents Week events in their communities.  

Minnesota legislature passes affiliate nexus bill; Stephen King’s Joyland to be released in print only; Barefoot Books cuts ties with Amazon; Penguin settles at $75 million in e-book case; Storey Publishing president retires; Ingram Publisher Services signs four publishers

World Book Night titles sales jump; Goodreads alternative Riffle now open to public; American Express study looks at small business owners’ purchasing; O’Reilly cancels Tools of Change conference; Memorial service planned for Bryan Pearce of University Bookstore

Bookstores have the opportunity to request one of the last Find Waldo Local materials kits for the community-wide celebration this July.

Drummer John Densmore of The Doors is helping independent record stores and bookstores celebrate Record Store Day, on April 20, with the launch of his new, self-published book, The Doors: Unhinged, a look at the deep divide among the remaining band members after Jim Morrison’s death.

The deadline to pre-register for Find Waldo Local 2013 has been extended to this Friday, March 29. Sign up now for the July community-wide celebration of the uniqueness, fun, and strength of local businesses, co-sponsored by Candlewick Press and ABA.

This Friday, March 22, is the deadline to pre-register for Find Waldo Local 2013, the July community-wide celebration of the uniqueness, fun, and strength of local businesses, co-sponsored by Candlewick Press and ABA.

Starting on Thursday, February 21, independent booksellers across the country can pre-register to participate in Find Waldo Local 2013, a month-long community-wide scavenger hunt in July 2013 that celebrates the uniqueness, fun, and strength of local businesses.

The 2013 post-holiday Independent Business Survey, conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in partnership with ABA and other indie business organizations, has found that independent businesses experienced solid revenue growth in 2012, buoyed in part by “buy local first” initiatives and growing public interest in supporting locally owned businesses.

Communities as different as Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Louisville, Kentucky, have at least one thing in common: Their independent businesses recirculate a substantially greater proportion of their revenues back into the local economy than do their chain competitors.

There’s still time for indie bookstores to take part in the sixth annual post-holiday survey conducted by the Institute for Local Self Reliance, in partnership with ABA and other business organizations.

ABA is encouraging bookstores to participate in the sixth annual post-holiday survey conducted by the Institute for Local Self Reliance in partnership with ABA and other business organizations. Last year, more than 1,800 businesses completed the confidential survey and its findings were featured in more than 200 stories in local and national news media.

Between Small Business Saturday and the Thanks for Shopping Indie and Kobo Mini promotions, many ABA members were reporting increases in holiday weekend sales and a renewed sense of appreciation for locally owned businesses among their customers.

In its third year, American Express’ Small Business Saturday has established itself as the preeminent national holiday promotion for Main Street businesses, and it is generating substantial national and local advertising that encourages consumers to support their locally owned businesses.