Stacy Mitchell is a senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, where she directs initiatives on independent business and community banking. She is the author of Big-Box Swindle and also produces a popular monthly newsletter, the Hometown Advantage Bulletin. Connect with her on twitter and catch her recent TEDx Talk: Why We Can’t Shop Our Way to a Better Economy. More
Wal-Mart is increasingly looking to build giant stores in small New England villages. Residents are fighting back. Continue reading
On a 4-2 vote, the City Council in Port Townsend, a community of about 8,500 people on the northwest coast of Washington state, approved an ordinance that restricts the proliferation of formula retail stores and restaurants. Continue reading
Local business owners across the country are coming to the aid of their counterparts in the Gulf Coast by establishing funds to provide direct assistance to independent businesses affected by the hurricanes. Continue reading
Just one month after its abrupt closing, Kepler’s Books and Magazines in Menlo Park, California, has reopened thanks to an outpouring of support from the community. Continue reading
In an effort to create more capital for local business loans and community development, the city of Santa Cruz, California, has shifted nearly $600,000 in city funds from U.S. treasuries and other securities to two locally owned financial institutions. Santa Cruz City Councilor Ryan Coonerty proposed the idea, which he says will bolster the local economy by keeping the city’s financial resources working locally. Continue reading
A new study has concluded that additional chain retail expansion on Cape Cod would undermine the region’s economy. Continue reading
David Morris speaking on John Roberts and the Supreme Court during Wendy Wilde Show, Air America Minnesota
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In some of the first research to examine the effectiveness of buy-local campaigns, surveys in two Philadelphia neighborhoods, conducted at the end of a month-long pilot Buy Local Philly program, found that one in six people were aware of the initiative. Of those, 40 percent said they had been motivated to patronize an independent business as a result. Continue reading
In an ironic turn of events, Wal-Mart has called on the British government to intervene in the growing market dominance of rival retailer Tesco. Continue reading
Grocery and big-box retailers in New York City will be required to contribute a set minimum to their employees’ health insurance, under an ordinance passed by the City Council on a 46 to 1 vote. Continue reading
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