Plans Well Underway for Annual Celebration of 'Independents Week'

Some 228 years ago this July 4, a coalition of independent thinkers raised the awareness of Americans, loyalists, and King George by penning the Declaration of Independence. And while independent business alliances and retailers across the nation aren't looking to do something so grandiose as declare their independence from a tyrannical king, this Fourth of July week, they are looking to raise the awareness in their respective communities regarding the intrinsic and economic value of their local independent businesses by celebrating Independents Week.

For the week of July 1 - July 7, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) -- a national outreach networking hub and resource center for independent business alliances (IBAs) and independent businesses -- has planned a weeklong, national promotion to educate the public on the importance of shopping at their local, independent businesses.

At least nine independent business alliances will participate in the promotion, as will the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the Council of Independent Restaurants of America (CIRA), the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), and some individual business members of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS).

Independents Week is a local community event held on a national scale. Jennifer Rockne, AMIBA's director, noted that, by holding the event at communities throughout the country, "it's inspiring [local business owners] to look at utilizing [IBAs] for their community. The independent business community is seeing that they are not alone. People get excited when they connect and share and get together and do something. They're telling me, 'Hey, this is really a movement!'" Rockne noted that AMIBA would be responsible for garnering media attention for Independents Week in the national press and has provided its members with templates for press releases, as well graphics for the event.

Independents Week was first developed three years ago in Tampa, Florida, by the owners of the independent Inkwood Books, when the store placed that month's Book Sense 76 titles on sale for the July 4th week. The response to the sales event was so strong that, by 2003, about 20 local businesses were participating in the Tampa promotion, which urged community members to "celebrate our nation's independence [by] celebrating your independents -- for all your shopping, dining, and entertainment needs." A couple of months after the 2003 event, those 20 businesses formed the Tampa Independent Business Alliance (TIBA) and became an AMIBA affiliate in January. TIBA will be one of the nine IBAs participating in this year's weeklong celebration of independents.

In the quaint, New England-esque Ohio village of Hudson, there is no formal IBA, but when Liz Murphy of The Learned Owl Book Shop heard about the national promotion, she decided she would try and corral a few other independents to join in. At press time, 50 local businesses will be taking part in the celebration, she reported. "I was kind of amazed [at the response]!" she said. "We're going to stick close to the ideas [gleaned from] TIBA's promotions."

For the week, Hudson businesses will be hosting activities, prize drawings, and entertainment. Activities include the "Indie Pledge," whereby people promise to shop only at independent stores for the first week in July. They receive a free button and are eligible to join in a whole-family scavenger hunt with high-end prizes from Hudson businesses. Many stores will be having additional drawings or activities.

"We're trying to raise people's consciousness," Murphy said, and added that teaching people the value of shopping locally has some urgency since a Hudson developer is trying to push through a referendum to bypass the planning commission for a mall that will be anchored by chains stores. "Our goal is a real educational, raising of consciousness week." This also includes a press release to the media in which the Austin Study on the economic impact of local businesses versus chain businesses is detailed, she said. (To read the report, click here.)

That study had been commissioned by the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA), an IBA that also has some events plans for Independents Week. The group has created "great posters," said Steve Bercu of BookPeople, which has been passed out to AIBA members, with the date of the event, as well as T-shirts for consumers.

Additionally, Austin stores will be holding a contest for customers asking them to collect receipts (if they don't wish to buy at a particular store, they can ask for a voided receipt) at as many different independent businesses as they can. "Whoever has gone to the most independent businesses wins a grand prize," Bercu said.

Bercu reported that he expects Independents Week to garner good media attention, especially considering that the mayor and the city council of Austin have issued a proclamation declaring July 1 - July 7 as Independents Week. "That will generate its own round of publicity," he said. "The point is to constantly bring before the consuming public the value of independent businesses. I believe that when the public is well educated to the value of independents, we as independent booksellers are direct beneficiaries.

"I think conducting this nationwide is great," Bercu continued. "I love to see national publicity because it carries weight locally."

In Corvallis, Oregon, things will be low key for the Corvallis Independent Business Alliance's (CIBA) first Independents Week celebration, said Jack Wolcott of Grass Roots Books & Music. This is simply because the CIBA is spending a great deal of time and energy working with local government agencies since "three big box stores are trying to come into town," he said.

Nonetheless, CIBA will be celebrating Independents Week. For one, on the Fourth of July the town is holding a Red, White & Blues Festival, and the group hopes to have a presence there. Additionally, "there will be small store-to-store things to raise awareness -- we all want to be more public," he said, noting that members will probably place Independents Week posters in their stores, among other things.

As for Grass Roots, "I'm going to do a lot," Wolcott said. "We'll be doing our own events. Celebrating independent bookstores and publishers distinguishes your bookstore. We find the bestsellers that the chains pick up later." He noted that the Book Sense program highlights the benefits of independents perfectly. "We try to exemplify the five characteristics listed in Book Sense."

Also, during July 1 - July 7, Grass Roots will be having a weeklong sale on staff favorites called "Guaranteed Good Reads." "If a customer doesn't like [a recommendation], they can bring it back," Wolcott said. The store has conducted this promotion periodically in the past, and thus far, no one has returned a book, he noted. "For this event we'll do it on a broad scale to show the strength and courage of our convictions." --David Grogan