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Why is it important to support locally owned businesses?

Top 10 Reasons to Go Local.

"...reconnecting eaters with farmers, investors with entrepreneurs, and business owners with the communities and natural places on which they depend."

-Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

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  • March 26, 2017 10:08 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)

    This week's online discussion focuses on COMMUNITY CAPITAL.

    Participate in the discussion

    Help us brainstorm a list of businesses, organizations and initiatives that support community capital in our Monadnock Local Living Economy.
  • March 24, 2017 8:22 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)

    Story by Annie Card, Annie Card Creative Services; Photo by Kimberly Peck

    Much has happened in the world of books since the early 1970’s when Willard Williams, with the support of several family members, opened the Toadstool Bookshop on Main Street in Peterborough.

    It was 1972, a year after Borders opened its first book store in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Borders and The Toadstool both sold books. Both were surrounded by communities of book lovers. The similarities end there.

    In 2008 Borders was drowning in $350 million of debt. The bookstore giant began closing stores, and in 2011 Borders closed the last of its 659 stores, dismissing nearly 20,000 workers in total.

    By contrast, Willard who was joined in the business by Holly when they married in 1974, never considered growing The Toadstool into a mega chain. He knew the Toadstool’s success was based on the quality of the shopping experience: the right selection of books, welcoming atmosphere, great service, and being connected to the community.

    Willard opened the second Toadstool in the newly renovated Colony Mill, in Keene in 1983. “I believed in what the mill could be and in the importance of saving it,” Willard said. {Editor's Note: In 2016, Keene's Toadstool moved to 12 Emerald Street.}

    In 1989 he opened another store in Milford, marking the Toad’s third and final bookshop. The Toadstool Bookshops have now served their local communities for a combined 101 years, and are still going strong with a team of 30 dedicated employees.

    The game changers that marked the end for many other booksellers— Amazon, the recession, and the e-book revolution were no match for The Toadstool’s business philosophy of knowing your customer and taking care of them.

    Willard is proud to be a part of Monadnock Buy Local, bringing businesses of all kinds together. He sees the positive effect it’s had in the region. “I’m excited for more businesses to join and feel the thrill of this movement. Together, we can do so much more.”

  • March 19, 2017 8:28 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)


    This week's online discussion focuses on COOPERATIVES & COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP.

    Participate in the discussion

    Help us brainstorm a list of businesses, organizations and initiatives that support cooperatives and community ownership in our Monadnock Local Living Economy.
  • February 26, 2017 6:52 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)


    This week's online discussion focuses on GREEN MANUFACTURING.

    Participate in the discussion

    Help us brainstorm a list of businesses, organizations and initiatives that support green manufacturing in our Monadnock Local Living Economy.
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  • February 19, 2017 3:05 PM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)


    This week's online discussion focuses on ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

    Participate in the discussion

    Help us brainstorm a list of businesses, organizations and initiatives that support entrepreneurship in our Monadnock Local Living EconomySave

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  • February 18, 2017 5:51 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)

    Story by Annie Card, Annie Card Creative Services; Photo by Kimberly Peck

    Edmunds Hardware Store on Main Street in Antrim is a classic, with well-worn wooden floors, and aisles filled floor to ceiling with new items, and with everything you need to repair what you already have.

    I met with Rick Edmunds in the store’s basement, beside the workbench where he’d recently fixed a customer’s faucet. “If it’s worth fixing, then that’s what we’ll do or show you how to do,” said Rick.

    “People remember when you help them out. We have always operated on the principle of solving people’s problems.”

    Rick’s been working at Edmunds for more than 30 years, starting at 10 years old. He used to sweep the floors, and help move the big stuff outdoors. As a boy, he’d go to the store before it opened, and help carry out the merchandise that clogged the aisles.

    Depending on the season, Rick moved snow shovels, rakes and lawn mowers; plus ladders, trash barrels, kiddie pools, grills, lawn furniture, drying racks. After arranging the last item out by the walk, Rick picked up his backpack and walked to school.

    Today Rick manages the family business, following in his father’s footsteps, and his father’s father before him. Hattie and Clarence Edmunds opened their first store in Henniker in 1942, and in 1962 opened a second location in Antrim. Rick’s grandmother, Hattie, is 95 and still works daily in the Henniker store. Clarence died in 2004. Rick’s parents, Lorraine and Dick also still work in the family business.

    Edmunds is bigger and stronger than ever for a few reasons. First, the family has always reinvested in the business: buying land and building a new store at routes 114 and 202 in Henniker when they outgrew the original downtown location; and always keeping up with the latest products and technology, like computer paint matching systems.

    Second, they listen to their customers and put them first. No matter how big the competition is, they will never beat Edmunds’s customer service. Thirdly, the big box stores will never beat Edmunds’s staff. “We’ve always had the best employees. They’re knowledgeable and resourceful, and they like what they do.” One Henniker employee just retired after 40 years.

    After earning a degree in business from UNH, and working outside the family business for two and a half years, Rick decided it was time to return to the fold.

    Before taking the baton from his father, Rick had one thing he wanted to do. He spent five and a half months hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Once he got off the trail, he headed back to Antrim and took over management of the family business.

    Rick lives in Antrim with his wife and their two sons, all of who work at Edmunds, carrying on their family tradition of taking care of their customers.

    “It’s all about treating people right, great service. It’s what drew me to Monadnock Buy Local. I believe in what they do. I learned about Plaid Friday, and thought how much sense that makes. We appreciate our customers, and likewise we also think local.  I know it matters, to support other small businesses. It helps all of us.”

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  • January 29, 2017 7:31 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)


    This week's online discussion focuses on the ARTS & CULTURE.

    Participate in the discussion

    Help us brainstorm a list of businesses, organizations and initiatives that support the arts and culture in our Monadnock Local Living Economy.

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  • January 22, 2017 10:20 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)

    This week's online discussion focuses on SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE.

    Participate in the discussion

    Help us brainstorm a list of businesses, organizations and initiatives that support local food and farming efforts in our Monadnock Local Living Economy.

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  • January 08, 2017 9:10 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)


    Photo Credit: Mari Brunner, Monadnock Alliance for Sustainable Transportation

    This week's online discussion focuses on SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION.

    Participate in the discussion

    Help us brainstorm a list of businesses, organizations and initiatives that support Sustainable Transportation efforts in our Monadnock Local Living Economy.

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  • March 13, 2016 8:54 AM | TLC Monadnock (Administrator)

    Looking for a night out, a perfect gift or some other product or service? Please, think local first!

    Think local first and keep the green in our community!

    This means, make locally owned businesses your first choice.  Check to see if they carry the product or service you're looking for.

    Search our Online Buy Local Directory

    If they don't carry what you're looking for, ask if they can add or order what you want. The turnaround is sometimes impressive!

    And if there's a price difference, consider the value that independents bring to our community: Top Reasons to Buy Local, Eat Local, Go Local


    Top Reasons to Buy Local, Eat Local, Go Local (with documentation to back them!) By choosing local and independent businesses for your services, shopping, dining and other needs, you not only enjoy a more distinctive and personal experience, you’re helping: BUILD COMMUNITY! The casual encounters you enjoy at neighborhood–scale businesses and the public spaces around them build relationships and community cohesiveness. (source 1, source 5) They’re the ultimate social networking sites! STRENGTHEN YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY! Each dollar you spend at independent businesses returns 3 times more money (source 2) to your local economy than one spent at a chain (almost 50 times more than buying from an online mega-retailer) — a benefit we all can bank on. AMIBA_posterconcepts-final Click to see all four poster designs SHAPE OUR CHARACTER! Independent businesses help give your community its distinct personality. CREATE A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT! Independent, community-serving businesses are people-sized. They typically consume less land, carry more locally-made products, locate closer to residents and create less traffic and air pollution. (source 3) More on this topic: Buying Green Means Buying Local. LOWER TAXES! More efficient land use and more central locations mean local businesses put less demand on our roads, sewers, and safety services. They also generate more tax revenue per sales dollar. The bottom line: a greater percentage of local independent businesses keeps your taxes lower. (source 4) GET REAL VALUE FOR YOURSELF! Reader surveys by the Consumers Union repeatedly show independent businesses beating their chain competitors in overall customer satisfaction (and often save you money). CHOICES! A wide variety of independent businesses, each serving their customers’ tastes, creates greater overall choice for all of us. INCREASE WEALTH OF RESIDENTS! The multiplier effect created by spending locally generates lasting impact on the prosperity of local organizations and residents. (source 6) CREATE JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES! Not only do independent businesses employ more people directly per dollar of revenue, they also are the customers of local printers, accountants, wholesalers, farms, attorneys, etc., expanding opportunities for local entrepreneurs. GIVE BACK TO YOUR COMMUNITY! Small businesses donate more than twice as much per sales dollar to local non-profits, events, and teams compared to big businesses. (source 5) CIWL-rotating Click image to see decals and other outreach materials. ENHANCE LOCAL DEMOCRACY! Local ownership of business means residents with roots in the community are involved in key development decisions that shape our lives and local environment. ENHANCE HEALTH OF RESIDENTS! Research shows a strong correlation between the percentage of small locally-owned firms and various indicators of personal and community health and vitality. (source 7) Note: while we provide these bullets in list form for your convenience and easy reference, scattering individual reasons throughout your materials or website is most effective. We provide several free graphics to make it easy for you to share the messages online (ask for print-resolution versions) or in print.

    Content Source: http://www.amiba.net/resources/localhero/
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