Can 10 percent be the solution?

Submitted by Dawn Yukus on Tue, 06/23/2009 - 5:29pm

Groups say a small share of consumer spending can save local businesses

By Katheleen Conti
Boston Globe Staff / June 11, 2009

"While global markets eagerly await a shot of adrenaline from American consumerism to spark an economic rebound, some business owners in this slice of the world believe the recession can be stopped by a grass-roots initiative known as Local First.

Amesbury is the latest community north of Boston to enter the movement, which promotes strengthening local economies by encouraging residents to buy from local and independent businesses as much as possible. It is also getting ready to adopt the 10% Shift, an initiative that asks residents to pledge to shift at least that much of their annual budget toward local purchases.

"People who go outside to big chain malls are preventing the Amesbury economy from thriving," said Laury Hammel, founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston. "So Local First encourages the local economy."

BALLE is an organization of Local First groups in the nation, while the business network is the umbrella organization for a number of local projects, including the founding of Local First campaigns, said Hammel, a Cambridge resident and author of "Growing Local Value," a book about how small businesses contribute to the community.

Hammel's book and teachings have been the foundation for several Local First campaigns, including Somerville Local First, a year-old effort by business owners to "grow deep roots in the community," said executive director Joe Grafton. Other communities that have joined the effort include Arlington and Portsmouth, N.H. The movement has also gained momentum nationwide..." (continue reading)