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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Aug 1, 2002

NEWSPAPERS SUFFER WHEN LOCAL STORES CLOSE

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/newspapers-suffer-when-local-stores-close/

Local newspapers suffer a double blow when giant chains like Home Depot or Wal-Mart come to town. Not only do these companies rarely advertise in local newspapers, but they usually force dozens of independent retailers to close, eliminating significant sources of newspaper ad revenue.

In a recent article in Editor & Publisher, Mark Fitzgerald describes the deadly impact that the rise of corporate chains and decline of locally owned businesses has had on local newspapers.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Aug 1, 2002

SMALL BUSINESSES FIGHT ABUSE OF EMINENT DOMAIN

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/small-businesses-fight-abuse-eminent-domain/

Denver’s Asian stores are not alone in facing condemnation for a national chain. In a growing number of court cases around the country, small business owners are challenging attempts by local and state governments to seize their property for chain store development.

Traditionally, eminent domain—the power of government to take private property for public use, provided that the owner receive market value—has been used for schools, roads, and other public infrastructure.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 1 Comment | Updated on Jul 1, 2002

Homegrown Economics: In Boulder, Local Businesses Stay Ahead of the Chains

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/homegrown-economics-boulder-local-businesses-stay-ahead-chains/

A profile of the first Independent Business Alliance.  

Plotting the overthrow of the franchised world, bookstore owner David Bolduc and political organizer Jeff Milchen strategize on how to preserve hometown businesses in Boulder, Colorado, and around the country. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on May 1, 2002

Vancouver Coalition Fights Walmart

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/vancouver-coalition-fights-walmart/

A coalition of neighborhood, small business, and environmental groups has gathered more than 4,000 petition signatures against a proposed Wal-Mart store in Vancouver, Canada. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on May 1, 2002

WAL-MART DEVELOPER’S TACTICS QUESTIONED IN NEW ORLEANS

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmart-developers-tactics-questioned-new-orleans/

Rumors of a citizens lawsuit are beginning to circulate in New Orleans less than a month after the city council approved a 200,000 square foot suburban-style Wal-Mart supercenter. The 17-acre development will be situated along Tchoupitoulas Street in the Lower Garden District, a historic neighborhood wedged between a bend in the Mississippi River and downtown.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on May 1, 2002

ARCATA PROHIBITS FORMULA RESTAURANTS

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/arcata-prohibits-formula-restaurants/

In mid-May, the city council of Arcata, California voted 4-to-1 to enact a citywide cap on the number formula restaurants. The measure must pass a second reading on June 5. It will become law 30 days later.

The ordinance defines a formula restaurant as one that shares the same design, menu, trademark, and other characteristics with twelve or more other establishments. The ordinance bars a formula restaurant from locating within the city unless it is replacing an existing formula restaurant at the same location.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on May 1, 2002

OCEAN BEACH PLANNING BOARD ENDORSES FORMULA BUSINESS BAN

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/ocean-beach-planning-board-endorses-formula-business-ban/

Six weeks after an advisory referendum won broad support from residents, the Ocean Beach, California, planning board voted 8-to-4 in early May to recommend that the city council adopt an ordinance banning all formula restaurants and retail businesses.

Ocean Beach is a neighborhood of San Diego with a population of about 15,000. Each of the city’s neighborhoods has its own master plan and elected planning board.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on May 1, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR VETOES BIG BOX LAW

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/san-francisco-mayor-vetoes-big-box-law/

San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown vetoed an ordinance to require greater scrutiny of big box development. The measure passed the Board of Supervisors on a 7-to-4 vote in March. Eight votes are needed to override a mayoral veto.

The citywide ordinance would have required retail development projects larger than 50,000 square feet to undergo an impact review and obtain a conditional use permit before proceeding.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on May 1, 2002

AUSTIN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS ALLIANCE TAKES OFF

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

Steve Bercu, owner of Book People, a large independent bookstore in Austin, Texas, has been increasingly concerned about the decline of the city’s homegrown businesses. Like the rest of the country, Austin has seen as steady influx of national chains. Meanwhile, the local businesses so central to the city’s sense of place and character are disappearing.

About a year-and-a-half ago, Bercu learned about the Boulder Independent Business Alliance (BIBA) in Boulder, Colorado and decided to replicate the approach in Austin.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on May 1, 2002

COOPERATIVE BOLSTERS INDEPENDENT LIGHTING STORES

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/cooperative-bolsters-independent-lighting-stores/

To counter competition from big box retailers, independent lighting stores are banding together in a cooperative called Lighting One. The coop enables members to reduce costs through joint purchasing and gain access to services and expertise that otherwise would be unaffordable.

"Lighting One puts us on a level playing field with the big boxes," says Marilyn Shulman, second generation owner of Bayshore Lighting, a 60-year-old lighting store in Long Island, New York.

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