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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

Wisconsin Lawmakers Seek To Limit Big Box Subsidies

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/wisconsin-lawmakers-seek-limit-big-box-subsidies/

Two state legislators are preparing a bill to modify Wisconsin’s tax increment financing (TIF) law that will likely limit the use of TIF for retail development projects.

"I am concerned about the inappropriate use of TIF districts to subsidize two kinds of development. The first is development that would have occurred anyway. The other is big box retail development," says Rep. Peter Bock (D-Milwaukee).

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

Madison Residents Say No To Walgreens, Push Alternatives

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/madison-residents-say-no-walgreens-push-alternatives/

Residents of a Madison neighborhood were shocked to learn in early December that a 20-year-old local grocery store would be closing its doors. Ken Kopp, owner of Ken Kopp’s Fine Foods on Monroe Street, one of the last independent grocery stores in the city, announced he was retiring. Unable to find a buyer for the grocery business, Kopp planned to sell the property to a developer who intended to build a 14,000 square foot drive-through Walgreens.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

Ikea Backs Out Of New Rochelle

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/ikea-backs-out-new-rochelle/

In the last issue of this Bulletin, we reported on a massive citizen effort in New Rochelle, New York to block a 300,000 square foot Ikea furniture superstore. In late January, Ikea and the city jointly announced that they would drop the project.

Although the press release issued by Mayor Tim Idoni, who strongly favored the chain, focused on certain unresolvable traffic issues, opponents contend that the organized and sustained citizen opposition ultimately led to the project’s demise.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

Petoskey’s Local Businesses Fight Massive Retail Development

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/petoskeys-local-businesses-fight-massive-retail-development/

Located on Lake Michigan, the small town of Petoskey in northern Michigan draws thousands of visitors every year. They come for the spectacular scenery and for an opportunity to experience what many communities have long since lost: a vibrant downtown.

Renowned for its distinctive character and century-old buildings, downtown Petoskey is more than a quaint destination for tourists. Its a place that serves the everyday needs of residents.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

In Boulder, Buying Local Pays

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/boulder-buying-local-pays/

Residents of Boulder, Col. no longer have to choose between supporting a locally owned retailer and shopping elsewhere for a better deal. For $15—less than the price of membership at one warehouse buying club—they can purchase a Community Benefit Card from the Boulder Independent Business Alliance (BIBA). The card provides discounts and other benefits at more than 60 local businesses, with most knocking 10 percent off every product and service they offer.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

Vermont Country Stores Form Alliance

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/vermont-country-stores-form-alliance/

Vermont is home to more than 250 country stores, many of which have been the center of their communities for well over a century. Country stores are as varied and unique as the towns they serve. Most are small, cozy, locally owned and operated, and housed in historic buildings. Their offerings include staple products like newspapers and bread, as well as goods geared to the local market, such as fishing lures or gourmet cheeses.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

Trial To Begin In Antitrust Suit Against Bookstore Chains

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/trial-begin-antitrust-suit-against-bookstore-chains/

After more than two years in the discovery phase, a trial is finally scheduled to begin on April 9 in the antitrust lawsuit brought by the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and more than 20 individual bookstores against Barnes & Noble and Borders Books.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, charges the two chains with using their market clout to bully publishers into providing "secret, discriminatory, and illegal" discounts not made available to independent bookstores, even on orders of the s

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

Eugene’s Retailers Launch Joint Ad Campaign

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/eugenes-retailers-launch-joint-ad-campaign/

Independent retailers in Eugene, Ore. have banded together to promote the idea of shopping at locally owned stores. Their new cooperative advertising program, known as Unique Eugene, aims to "persuade Eugeneans that shopping at customer service-oriented local stores is better for the community and more fun."

"The big stores have enough marketing power behind them to tell their story," says co-founder Paul Nicholson.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Mar 1, 2001

New Law Keeps Kansas City Business District Small-Scale

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-law-keeps-kansas-city-business-district-smallscale/

In late November, the Kansas City Council voted to approve new zoning rules to protect the Brookside business district from large-scale, suburban-style chain store development.

The ordinance restricts retail uses to 10,000 square feet, except for grocery stores, which may be as large as 25,000 square feet, prohibits drive-through restaurants, limits building heights, caps the number of parking spaces allowed, and sets design standards for the neighborhood.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 8, 2001

When a Giant Retailer Moves on, It Leaves its ‘Big Box’ Behind

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/when-giant-retailer-moves-it-leaves-its-big-box-behind-2/

Most people are familiar with the damage Wal-Mart, Target and other "big box" retailers have done to local economies. Across the country, these giant stores have gutted downtowns and decimated locally owned businesses.

Now the national chains are dealing communities a second blow. They are vacating their existing stores, sometimes to build bigger outlets, sometimes just closing up shop, in both cases leaving huge empty shells and acres of asphalt behind.

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