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The Shop Local Movement

downtown illustrationIndependent bookstores are more than just retail outlets – they’re gathering places for book-lovers and neighbors. The ABA and booksellers nationwide are working to raise awareness of the importance of shopping local first so that community-centric businesses will survive and thrive.

Why shop at a locally owned business first? Because far more of the money spent at local businesses is reinvested in your community. This helps other local businesses, which creates greater diversity and helps the community maintain its unique appeal. Shopping local is environmentally friendly, too: it creates less traffic and pollution.
 
A Declaration of Independents

Stacy Mitchell, author of The Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses (Beacon), on the importance of supporting indies. Adapted from Mitchell's 2006 E.F. Schumacher lecture, the Declaration is designed to be printed on two sheets of paper, double-sided, to form an eight-page pamphlet. (pdf)

Local Initiatives
Learn more about organizations that focus on building stronger communities – and what you can do in your community.
Economic Studies
These studies document the positive economic impact of locally owned businesses, and how they contribute significantly more money to the local economy than do retail chains.
Key Resources
Sources of information and supporting materials for shop local efforts.
Shop Local Notable Title List
A selection of informative titles on the importance of building and strengthening a vibrant local economy. This PDF file can be downloaded and posted in your store: it's a great way to showcase a variety of books that will educate and fascinate customers.
Stay Informed!
Keep abreast of the growing shop local movement with stories from Bookselling This Week.
Spread the Word...
Learn more about IndieBound, the new community-oriented movement that enlightens the world about the value of independent businesses, promotes those values that make indies unique, and gives booksellers the tools for their stores and their communities to help spread the passion.

IndieBound.org is the central hub of the IndieBound movement. Check out the bestselling books in independent bookstores across America—and order from the store nearest you. Sign the Declaration of IndieBound—and share it with your friends. Download banners, blinkies, and more to help spread the word about the importance of shopping local. And, as the site grows, it will become a way to meet other indie fans and swap facts about your favorite local businesses. We'll be adding all kinds of things to the site, so check back often, and sign up for email updates in the top right corner of the site.

Topics: Advocacy, Local First