Originally posted in the Monadnock Shopper News
From your Thanksgiving meal to your New Year’s Eve celebration, are you ready to Shop Indie Local? On November 1, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) will launch its Shop Indie Local holiday campaign, encouraging all of us to shift more of our holiday shopping, entertaining and dining to locally owned and independent businesses. This national movement empowers us all to support local job creation and economic growth through our holiday purchases at locally owned and independent businesses. Over 50 business organizations and networks throughout the United States will kick off this collaborative campaign next week. The campaign continues through December.
When you spend your dollars at locally owned retail businesses in the Monadnock Region four times more money returns to our local economy compared to chain retailers. Spend a dollar at an independent business and 62 cents returns to our local economy, spend it at a chain store and only 13 cents returns.
The money that returns recirculates through our economy, generating ripple effects that create new jobs, charitable contributions and community prosperity. If everyone shifted just 10% of their purchases from national chains to locally owned retailers, we would return $27 million to our regional economy annually.
Here are five tips to boost your Shop Indie Local efforts:
Wear plaid on Plaid Friday to show your support for our local economy and commitment to buying local this holiday season. The day to wear plaid this year is Friday, November 29th.
Some independent businesses will serve as Plaid Friday Hubs. Hubs photograph customers decked out in plaid and answer questions about Plaid Friday and Monadnock Buy Local. In addition to hubs, some members will offer special events to thank you for stopping in. LuvInk&Paper in Keene will offer a Plaid Friday Holiday Card Buffet at their studio (103 Roxbury Street – Suite 306). Stay tuned for more!
Wearing plaid in Keene on Plaid Friday? Hop on into the Luxury Box Photo Booth at Ted’s Shoe & Sport at 115 Main Street in Keene on November 29th. Kim Peck will also set up a booth in Peterborough – stay tuned for the location. We will add all the photos taken to our annual collage, celebrating everyone who wore plaid to honor the day. Check out our gallery of over 400 photos from past Plaid Fridays at bit.ly/MBLplaidfriday.
Also, to amplify this year’s event, Savings Bank of Walpole will host a Plaid Friday Launch Party. We’ll post more details in early November.
That’s not a typo! Instead of Cyber Monday, a day when online merchants offer special deals, the Toadstool Bookshops invite you to a new tradition, CIDER Monday. On December 2nd, stop in for a free cup of cider and browse their amazing selection of books. In response to Cyber Monday, a day when online merchants offer deep discounts to divert your attention away from buying locally, Willard Williams of the Toadstool Bookshops dreamed up this new tradition.
“Customers are promised cider and smiling servers that will not crash,” said Willard. “As always, we’ll offer personal service, advice and the opportunity to touch and try items — with no logins or passwords necessary! Join us in taking a bite out of Cyber Monday.”
Discover more.
A big THANK YOU to this year’s Plaid Friday and Cider Monday sponsors: Cheshire Garden, The Cheshire Horse, The Dragonfly Shop, Frogg Brewing, Hannah Grimes Marketplace, LuvINK&Paper, Monadnock Food Co-op, Prime Roast Coffee, Savings Bank of Walpole, Ted’s Shoe & Sport, and The Yoga Space. Own an independent business? It’s not too late to jump in and participate. Contact us today at monadnockbuylocal@gmail.com.
Please join us and Shop Indie Local this holiday season. Together we’ll create a true holiday gift to our community — one that will keep on giving throughout the New Year.
The Local Crowd Monadnock - Keene, NH
