Back to top Jump to featured resources

Viewing all Articles from Independent Business Page 25 of 45

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2004

Brattleboro Group Urges Residents to Support Local Merchants

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/brattleboro-group-urges-residents-support-local-merchants/

Last year when Home Depot announced that it would open in a former Ames department store building in Brattleboro, Vermont, a group of residents organized a campaign urging people to avoid the store and continue supporting their hometown merchants.

The group, BrattPower: Supporting Our Local Economy, gathered 3,200 petition signatures in this town of 12,000, organized a community forum, and began running radio and newspaper ads outlining the hidden costs of large chain stores and the benefits of locally owned businesses.

Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2004

Local-Only Shopping Day Boosts Austin Business Alliance

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/localonly-shopping-day-boosts-austin-business-alliance/

Austin residents responded enthusiastically to a call by independent retailers to shop exclusively at locally owned businesses on Saturday, November 15. The one-day event, called Austin Unchained, was organized by the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA) and was promoted through posters, tee-shirts, and flyers distributed throughout the city.

Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2004

Santa Fe Alliance Releases Independent Business Study

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/santa-fe-alliance-releases-independent-business-study/

Chains are multiplying much faster than locally owned businesses in Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to a new study commissioned by the Santa Fe Independent Business & Community Alliance (SFIBCA). The study concludes that the decline of independent retailers is eroding Santa Fe’s distinctive character and undermining its economy.

The study was conducted by Angelou Economics, a consulting firm based in Austin, Texas, that helps cities draft and implement economic development plans.

Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2004

Tuolumne County Caps the Size of Retail Stores

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/tuolumne-county-caps-size-retail-stores/

Before a standing-room-only crowd, the Tuolumne County, California, Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in January to ban retail outlets over 60,000 square feet, about half the size of the average Home Depot store.

The vote came after several months of review and more than two hours of public testimony in which residents overwhelmingly endorsed the measure. "Towns that have resisted the boxes have a vital diverse downtown business climate," one resident told the board.

Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2004

Stoughton, Wisconsin, Adopts Big Box Limits

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/stoughton-wisconsin-adopts-big-box-limits/

After months of pressure from a vocal citizens group, the City Council in Stoughton, Wisconsin, adopted an ordinance banning stores over 110,000 square feet.

Stoughton is a community of 12,500 about 20 miles southeast of Madison. Last year, after Wal-Mart announced plans to close its 40,000-square-foot Stoughton outlet to build a 183,000-square-foot supercenter on undeveloped land, a citizens group called Uff-da Wal-Mart formed. Uff-da is a Norwegian expression of disdain.

Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2004

Vermont Governor Proposes Closing Tax Loophole that Favors Chains

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/vermont-governor-proposes-closing-tax-loophole-favors-chains/

In his State of the State address, Vermont Governor James Douglas proposed closing a tax loophole that gives national chains an advantage over local businesses. The loophole allows multi-state corporations to shift income made in the state to subsidiaries in low- or no-tax states like Delaware and Nevada, thereby evading Vermont corporate income taxes.

Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2004

Denver Drops Plan to Evict Asian Businesses for Wal-Mart

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/denver-drops-plan-evict-asian-businesses-walmart/

Following an outcry from local and national activists, the city of Denver has abandoned plans to condemn a shopping center, evict more than a dozen Asian-owned business, and transfer the property to a Wal-Mart developer.

Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2004

California Laws Targeting Supercenters Raise Concerns

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/california-laws-targeting-supercenters-raise-concerns/

Rather than capping the size of all retail stores, a growing number of cities and counties in California are banning supercenters in particular. These are generally defined as stores over 90,000 or 100,000 square feet that devote more than 5 or 10 percent of their floor area to non-taxable grocery items.

Under these ordinances, developers can still build massive box stores, so long as they do not combine department store merchandise anda full supermarket under one roof. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Jan 13, 2004

Wal-Mart’s False Plays at Ignorance

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmarts-false-plays-ignorance/

By Stacy Mitchell
originally published in Progressive Trail, January 13, 2004

In the Wal-Mart economy, where an inexhaustible supply of cheap consumer goods has become more important than family wages for American workers, it should come as little surprise that a company which is known for its ability to track the sale of products down to the penny across a far-flung empire, would plead ignorance when accused of violating labor laws.

Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 11, 2004

Massive retail expansion could harm Maine’s economy

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/massive-retail-expansion-could-harm-maines-economy-2/

Massive retail expansion could harm Maine’s economy by Stacy Mitchell Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, January 11, 2004 Developers have announced plans to construct well over 2 million square feet of large retail stores in Maine over the coming months. Wal-Mart is planning a supercenter in Westbrook and perhaps another in Topsham. Lowe’s… Continue reading