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

MAINE TOWN RECRUITS AN INDEPENDENT PHARMACIST

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/maine-town-recruits-independent-pharmacist/

Faced with a gap in the local retail base—no pharmacy or bookstore, for example—city officials almost invariably try to lure a national chain into the community. There often seems to be little alternative: how exactly does a town go about establishing a new independent business to fulfill an important function?

While there’s no obvious path and it may well prove more difficult than attracting a chain, officials of Orono, Maine recently demonstrated that it can be done.

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

Ireland Bans Superstores

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

The Irish government has made permanent a temporary cap on the size of retail stores in effect since 1998. The new law restricts stores in the Dublin area to 3,500 square meters (38,000 sq. ft.) and applies a 3,000 square meter (32,000 sq. ft.) limit to the rest of the country.

The policy also requires that new retail stores be located in town centers.

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

New Rochelle Residents Turn Out In Force To Block Ikea

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

At a hearing held in mid-November, residents of New Rochelle, New York were finally given an opportunity to comment on a proposed 308,000 square foot Ikea furniture store. They gave city officials an earful. More than 400 people packed City Hall, while hundreds more stood outside.

So many wished to testify that the city was forced to extend the hearings over five nights, taking 18 hours of testimony from more than 200 residents. All but a handful opposed the project.

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

Pittsburgh Redevelopment Plan Dropped

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

Small business owners and neighborhood activists were elated in November when Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy decided to drop his controversial downtown redevelopment plan. The $522 million project involved demolishing 60 historic buildings and condemning 120 mostly locally owned businesses. In their place, Murphy sought to build a massive retail complex, anchored by a Nordstrom department store and several dozen national chains.

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

States Collaborate On Equitable Sales Tax System

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/states-collaborate-equitable-sales-tax-system/

In December, representatives of the 29 states participating in the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (SSTP) approved model legislation that they hope state legislatures will adopt this year. If enacted, the legislation would move states one step closer to a sales tax system that applies equally to both traditional and electronic retailers.

A US Supreme Court ruling bars states from requiring remote sellers, including mail order and internet companies, to collect sales tax.

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

Warning: Dot-Com School Fundraisers May Be Harmful To Your Community

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/warning-dotcom-school-fundraisers-may-be-harmful-your-community/

In an effort to raise funds, thousands of public schools are encouraging parents and neighbors to shop on-line. More than a dozen new companies, such as Schoolpop.com and SchoolCash.com, have created web portals that enable users to shop a hundreds of on-line retailers.

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

Small Businesses Lend More Support To Local Causes

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/small-businesses-lend-more-support-local-causes/

National retail chains frequently use charitable giving as a tool for overcoming local opposition to their expansion plans. Facing strong resistance in Western Branch, Virginia, Wal-Mart ran ads in the local paper touting the $200,000 it had given to local causes. In Auburn, California, Home Depot made charitable contributions a focal point of its campaign to overcome the community’s long-standing opposition to big box stores.

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

Iowa Group Launches Buy Local Campaign

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/iowa-group-launches-buy-local-campaign/

The front of the poster shows Uncle Sam with his arms embracing a store owner and a shopper, superimposed over an outline of the state of Iowa and a drawing of Main Street. The back lists ten reasons to support independent businesses. Number one: Money spent at a local business stays in your community.

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