independent business

Consumers Buy Into 'Buy Local'

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 9:04pm

February 18th 2010

More groups are forming to send shoppers to home-grown independent businesses. But their impact on jobs is hard to quantify.

By now, residents of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood have figured out that their trendy new coffee shop, 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea, is actually owned by Starbucks. With fresh flowers, beans ground to order, and a "help yourself" policy regarding used coffee grounds—for composting, of course—the store could pass for a locally owned café.

Nationwide Survey Shows Power of "Buy Local" Campaigns

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 12:01pm

Locally-owned independent businesses outperform average retailer sales during 2009 holidays. Those with active Buy Local campaigns fared best.

Originally posted here.

MINNEAPOLIS - Jan. 14, 2010

More holiday shoppers deliberately sought out locally owned businesses this year, according to a national survey of more than 1,800 independent businesses.

The survey found that holiday sales for independent retailers were up an average of 2.2%. That contrasts with the U.S. Department of Commerce figures released today, which show that overall retail sales were down 0.3% in December and up 1.8% in November.

The survey also found that independent retailers in cities with active "Buy Independent / Buy Local" or "Local First" campaigns reported stronger holiday sales than those in cities without such campaigns. These campaigns have been launched in more than 100 cities and towns. Independent retailers in these cities reported an average increase in holiday sales of 3.0%, compared to 1.0% for those in cities without an active Buy Local initiative.