Cuz I wanna get up
Is it Saturday yet
It just feels like a Saturday
Baby
Is it Saturday yet
I just wanna get up
Is it Saturday yet
Cuz it feels like a Saturday
Baby
Is it Saturday?"
----Nick Carter
Saturday - a mini vacation, a day away from the office, a chance to get caught up on things that have gotten away from you - like shopping! You may have heard about Small Business Saturday recently. If you haven't, it's American Express' nationwide program to promote shopping at independently owned small businesses. Held the day after Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), Small Business Saturday hopes to increase the awareness of the value of shopping locally.
American Express isn't the only organization to uphold and promote this idea, nor were they the first. Many others have been there much earlier - B.A.L.L.E. (the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) was the leader of the pack with their mantra of believing "that local, independent businesses are among our most potent change agents, uniquely prepared to take on the challenges of the twenty-first century with an agility, sense of place, and relationship-based approach others lack. They are more than employers and profit-makers; they are neighbors, community builders and the starting point for social innovation, aligning commerce with the common good and bringing transparency, accountability, and a caring human face to the marketplace."
The Amerian Independent Business Alliance, formed around the same time as B.A.L.L.E., is a national 501c3 non-profit organization helping communities launch and successfully operate an Independent Business Alliance® (IBA), "buy independent, buy local" campaigns, pro-local policies, and other initiatives to support local entrepreneurs and vibrant local economies. Their latest campaign, pictured below, launched yesterday:
Urging the U.S. populace to shop local, independent stores and businesses, AMIBA aims to educate us about the difference between corporate-owned (chain) stores, big boxes (stores like WalMart, KMart, Target) and their smaller, neighborhood counterparts. The purveyor of the best information on this subject I've found, AMIBA is invaluable for their support of many nationwide shop local associations.
Smaller, but certainly as important, is The 3/50 Project and their shop local message. Conceived by Cinda Baxter in 2008, in the early days of this devastating recession, The 3/50 Project gives small stores readily accessible promotional material to educate their customers. It was also our jumping-off point, where I learned exactly what was up with these movements and the logic behind them. Cinda gave me the basics and pointed me to the organizations, like AIMBA and B.A.L.L.E., where I could learn more. The 3/50 Project's latest holiday promotion is "Keep The Cheer Here" aimed at underlining the need for differentiators in our communities - places that are unique to each and give new-comers a taste of the flavor of their town.
A relative newcomer to the mix, Independent We Stand has already made a large impact on localvores of all stripes. Formed to support local businesses and also to educate people about their importance, Independent We Stand's videos and informational materials are a testament to their commitment to small business. They go a step further and ask that you take their pledge to shop local. We have a special place in our heart for Independent We Stand.....check them out and I'm sure you'll see why.
These are just a few of the organizations making a difference in the way we think about local economies. As you all know, independent businesses, retailers in particular, are the drivers of the American economy, as it was in the past and as it will be in the future. As for Small Business Saturday, we'll be participating this year, too. We'll open at 8:30 am and close at 6:00 pm and you can expect some great bargains! Until then, I'll leave you with this video - I hope you'll watch it and take it to heart - see you on Saturday!
Have a great week ahead, my friends!
Lori and Scott
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