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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 4, 2005

Madison Limits Footprint of Big-Box Stores

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/madison-limits-footprint-bigbox-stores/

By an 18-1 vote, the City Council in Madison, Wisconsin, endorsed a measure that would limit retail stores to a footprint of no more than 100,000 square feet. Stores may be larger if they are multi-story or have structured or underground parking. A 100,000-square-foot store covers about the same land area as two football fields and typically requires at least twice as much land for the parking lot. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 28, 2005

Keeping Louisville Weird

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/keeping-louisville-weird/

“I was driving home one day and saw it on the back of a bus,” said Don Burch, owner of Qwest Outdoors, a retailer of outdoor gear in Louisville, Kentucky. The advertisement, in black with white lettering, said, “Keep Louisville Weird. Support Independent Businesses.”I tried in vain to find out who was doing it,” said Burch. Weeks later he finally discovered that the ads, which have been appearing on billboards and buses around the city, were sponsored by John Timmons, owner of Ear X-tacy, a 20-year-old music store. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 16, 2005

Vermont Lawmakers Weigh Statewide Big-Box Law

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/vermont-lawmakers-weigh-statewide-bigbox-law/

If a new ordinance limiting big-box retail development in the town of Bennington, Vermont, is endorsed by voters in an April referendum, two lawmakers say they will introduce bills to extend those restrictions statewide. In January, the Bennington Select Board voted unanimously to ban stores over 75,000 square feet and to require retail development projects larger than 30,000 square feet to pass a community impact review. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 9, 2005

Wal-Mart Tries to Skirt Maryland Size Cap Law

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmart-tries-skirt-maryland-size-cap-law/

Wal-Mart is attempting to skirt a size cap law in Calvert County, Maryland, by erecting two side-by-side stores. The law limits stores in the town of Dunkirk to no more than 75,000 square feet. Wal-Mart has proposed a 74,998-square-foot store adjacent to a 22,689-square-foot garden center. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 8, 2005

Our Take: Responding to Reich on Wal-Mart

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/our-take-responding-reich-walmart/

Our response to the destructive force of mega-corporations like Wal-Mart ought to involve much more than adopting regulations that "soften the blows" and "slow the pace of change," as Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under Clinton, argued in a recent New York Times op-ed entitled Don’t Blame Wal-Mart. Yes, we most certainly should raise the minimum wage and require companies to offer employees affordable health insurance, as Reich suggests. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 4, 2005

Arizona Chain Reaction Backs Bill to End Big-Box Subsidies

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/arizona-chain-reaction-backs-bill-end-bigbox-subsidies/

Arizona Chain Reaction (AZCR), a coalition of nearly 600 independent businesses, has launched a campaign of phone calls and emails to urge state lawmakers to enact legislation that would curtail cities’ ability to offer tax breaks and subsidies to chain retail developments. “We’ve got bidding wars going on among cities out here,” said Kimber Lanning, owner of Stinkweeds, a music store in Tempe, and founding member of AZCR. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 24, 2005

Big-Box Dropped from Portland Redevelopment Project

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/bigbox-dropped-portland-redevelopment-project/

Responding to intense public pressure, developers in a three-way competition to redevelop a site on the east side of Portland, Oregon, have dropped plans to include big-box retail in their projects. The Portland Development Commission has been considering proposals to redevelop five city blocks at the base of the Burnside Bridgehead east of the Willamette River. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 18, 2005

Massachusetts Spends Millions on Healthcare for Chain Store Employees

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/massachusetts-spends-millions-healthcare-chain-store-employees/

Massachusetts spent more than $52 million last year providing healthcare coverage to employees of some of the state’s largest companies, including numerous chain retailers like Wal-Mart, Dunkin Donuts, Stop & Shop, CVS, Home Depot, and Target. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 8, 2005

Montana Considers Tax on Big-Box Stores

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/montana-considers-tax-bigbox-stores/

“That giant sucking sound you hear coming from the edge of town is the sound of money being taken out of your community by big-box stores,” said Montana Senator Ken Toole, who has introduced a bill that would levy a tax on the state’s big-box stores. The bill would impose a progressive tax on stores with more than $20 million in annual sales. Revenue of $20 to $30 million would be taxed at 1 percent. The tax would rise to 1.5 percent for revenue in excess of $30 million and 2 percent for any revenue over $40 million. Continue reading