Growing movement to support independent businesses

The word about local businesses first is really getting around.

This article published in today's online PJ Star of Peoria, IL, highlights the efforts of the American Book Seller's Association to promote independent bookstores. Their new IndieBound campaign is fun and kicky.

What I most appreciate about the article is their focus on community profit gained when we patronize and build relationships with local businesses. It reminds us, for example, that local businesses donate to community efforts twice as much as national companies do. 

Our dollars are scarce. We have an opportunity (even a responsibility?) to ensure that what we do have is being used as effectively as possible. When we spend our dollars at local businesses, more of those dollars are used elsewhere in the community - in paychecks to our neighbors, in taxes that provide public services, and in payment to other local businesses, where the cycle continues. This is the key to building a healthier economy - multiplying the effective use of dollars, or what's called the "multiplyer effect." A dollar spent at a local business will circulate at least three times more before leaving the community than a dollar spent at a non-local business. (check out this economic impact study from Anderson, IL for more info)

We can impact the buying behaviors of our friends and neighbors and increase the support for local first by helping other folks learn about the positive economic impact of local business. Will you help us spread the word?