More than 300 locally owned businesses in Utah kicked off a Buy Local First campaign this week with nine days of special discounts and events. Continue reading
“The practice of competing to see who will kick-back the most taxpayer money to certain mega-businesses has gotten obscene,” declared Arizona State Representative Rick Murphy, one of several lawmakers pushing for a ban on retail subsidies. Continue reading
A look at the results of several ballot questions on big-box retail. Continue reading
Despite an expensive PR campaign, residents of Wayland, Massachusetts, rejected a developer’s plans to build a large "town center" retail development during a special town meeting. Continue reading
The vast multitudes of empty big-box stores, darkened malls, and vacant strip shopping centers that now litter the American landscape are being commandeered by a growing number of temporary Halloween superstores. "We call them 30-day wonders," said Debbie Lyn Owens, who owns a costume shop in Sunnyvale, California, and heads the National Costumers Association (NCA), which represents 600 locally owned costume stores. Continue reading
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
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