A little light reposting...

Cinda Baxter is a wonder who is behind the 3/50 program nationwide. Her story is one of supporting locally owned, independent businesses. She takes this message across the country and tries to help small retailers. Her blog posting this morning really rings true, and I thought it worth re-posting.


“Local” is about more than a zip code

by Cinda Baxter on March 9, 2011 · 4 comments

When “buy local”/”shop local” messaging hit its stride two years ago, big boxes and national chains quickly realized their corner on marketplace visibility was being eclipsed. Cost-conscious consumers were not only thinking about the price of an item, but the impact of where they purchased it. Before long, we saw mega-retailers repackaging the “buy local” message to include themselves—they’d procure broccoli from a nearby grower, then advertise themselves as part of the “local” movement. Carry meat packaged by a company located in a nearby town, then tell consumers they were buying “local.”

Uh yeah…not so much.

Well, Chapter Two of The Repackaging of Buy Local has begun to roll out, and it’s even more troubling.

To really understand its impact, we need to first remind ourselves what the phrase “buy local” was initially intended to mean. “Buy local,” “shop local,” local first,” and other similar tag lines focused on one of two things: The source of a product and/or the point of purchase—neither of which being a large, national corporate entity. These were “independent” businesses with no outside branded support. You know…the little guys.

When the economy slid south, then stayed there, consumers began thinking—actually thinking!–-about the impact of their spending habits. Sure, the majority are still frequenting big boxes for the best deal, but many have begun to recognize that convenience comes with its own price tag. Big boxes and national chains send their revenue out of town. Lots of it. Most of it. And that means less money for the folks who live in that community. For their fire department. The police department. The city streets.

Their quality of life.

Fast forward to Chapter Two.

Since the first attempt to jump on the local bandwagon fared poorly, a new game plan is being rolled out. Now, either on their own or with the help of community organizations, the message is being twisted by insinuation that “local” is all about location—which includes every single national chain and big box in town. This usurped version of “buy local” is being packaged as “Buy Mayberry” (or whatever the town’s name is), arguing that any purchase made with any business in town brings equal revenue home. Not so. Not even close.

Now…before someone begins throwing darts this direction…let me be clear. Not all “Buy Mayberry” programs include big boxes, franchises, and national chains. Many are built to support the merchants in town that are 100% locally owned, no national or regional branding, no outside corporate help. All local all the time. They give the most back. They should get the most attention.

But many are rolling out an ill-conceived message that spending with a nearby mega-store does as much financial good for the community as selecting an independent merchant. Which is simply not true.

From the study provided by Civic Economics:

For every $100 spent with a local, independent brick and mortar business, $68 returns to the local economy. Spend the same $100 with a big box or national chain and only $43 remains in the local economy.

Then, there’s the addition of internet sales, from The 3/50 Project:

Spend that same $100 online, and unless you live in the exact same community as the e-tailer, nothing comes home.

National chains bank out of town (for all but very few of us, out of state).

They don’t replenish business consumables via local stores.

They don’t bring new jobs to town; they displace that number of employees currently working for other local businesses.

When they make a charitable donation, it goes to the charity’s national office, not the local chapter (and certainly not the small non-profits who have no national office).

They don’t pay the same property tax rates small businesses do—theirs is negotiated lower.

They simply don’t put the money back into the town it comes from.

Yes, big boxes and national chains are here to stay, and yes, they play a role in the local economy. But I strongly advise any community considering a “Buy Mayberry” (or similar) promotion be very, very clear about who, exactly, it is they’re promoting.

If your plan includes big boxes and national chains, it’s not ”local.” It’s corporate. It’s about zip codes. And it will cost your community dearly long term.

That’s a pretty steep price to pay for short term, feel-good visibility.


NOTE: to read more from Cinda, please go to her website here. Thanks!

Borders, Amazon and you.

These are interesting times for booksellers. Borders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week. You can read more about it here. Since this is where I started my bookselling career, I do feel a little verklempt. The downtown Portland store closed in early January and many more store closings are on the horizon. I never like to see ANY bookstore close. We are lucky in the northwest to have access to many options if we want to buy books, be it Third Street Books, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Powells, Annie Blooms, Parnassus Books, the Book Bin, A Children's Place, even the internet. For many communities in America, stores like Borders were the ONLY source of reading material besides WalMart and Costco. There are places where Borders represents a cultural oasis in a wasteland of strip malls, big box cinemas and parking lots. A moment of silence is warranted.

Amazon on the other hand has gotten a bit too big for its britches, if you ask me. In many states where collecting sales tax is required for all retail outlets that have a physical presence in the state, Amazon has refused to do so. There exist some federal and state tax loopholes that allow Amazon to do this. However, bit by bit, states are fighting back. The Texas state comptroller recently sent Amazon a tax bill of $269 million. Amazon tossed its weight around and threatened to close a distribution facility is has in Texas and lay off all of its employees if it was made to pay this bill. Fortunately, the comptroller stuck to her guns (Texas-style, I'm sure) and didn't back down. Unfortunately, those employees are now out of work. While I feel deeply for those people, I am angered by the way Amazon (and admittedly other large corporations) seem to believe that they are above the laws that apply to everyone else doing business in a state. You can read more about it here and here.

You still have choices. As Americans that is one of our most sacred freedoms: to choose. Sure, sometimes we make decisions blindly, or just go with what is easiest or the status quo. But I hope that more and more people are thinking about the power of the choices we make. Be it where you spend your hard earned dollars, where you send your kids to school, what to eat or how to vote, we have the liberty to decide what is best for us, our families and our communities. Choose wisely.

Cool job alert.

Maybe not as cool as working at a bookstore, ahem. Thatcher Wine (what a name!) seems to have a pretty good occupation. You may have caught this article about him here in the New York Times. Check it out!

Cat haters need not read this post.

Seriously. The weather outside is so GROSS that all I want to do is go home, get into bed with a cup of tea and a glass of whiskey, pile the cats around me and read. Above is the scene on my bed when I left the house yesterday. Very cozy and my inspiration for this non-book related post. My office has no windows, which on days like this spares me from looking too forlornly at the torrents of rain coming down. But when I head out onto the sales floor, I can see that while it may actually be two in the afternoon, outside it looks like it is seven in the evening. Sigh.

Just a few articles of interest.

I actually meant to post one of these links last week. Here, you can read an article from the Boston Review that talks about what happens when a commodity (like books) become available through only one source (like Amazon). It is a very long article, but thoughtfully written and contains many valid points. The comments are almost as interesting as the article!

And then here, is a piece from today's New York Times about Google entering the ebook market. This is actually a good thing. When we start selling ebooks online (look for a complete website overhaul in mid-2011), we will be partnering with Google to do so. We are excited about these possibilities and look forward to being able to provide you, our loyal customers, with an independent ebook purchasing option!

Cool stuff!

Look at these cool new shirts we just got in! Beth is modeling The Catcher in the Rye for you. These tees have covers of great books printed on them. Out of Print Clothing makes these and we are proud to carry them in the store. Come down and see our selection!


Other neat gift items - small sachets and zipper pouches from Moontea Artwork. These lovelies are crafted in Grand Ronde, OR - so just down the road!

We also have some new votive holders. These tall mercury glass bottles from ROOST are not only beautiful, but functional as well since they double as a hanging candle holder. The shorter colored glass votive holders would look lovely on any holiday table!

Come down and see what else we have!

The holidays are here!

With my favorite holiday out of the way, (who doesn't like to cook and eat all day with family and friends!) I can now concentrate on important stuff like: do we have enough mustache mugs in the store? What is a mustache mug you ask? Why it is a mug that depicts the hirsute upper lip of famous people. It is actually cooler than it sounds, and if my camera were working I would share a photo of it!

Questions about facebook. We are always wondering how many people get their news about the store from facebook. We seem to have about 390 friends (we'd always like more, nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Sometimes, people in the store make comments to us about our facebook postings, so I know that someone is reading it! What are your thoughts?

I shall endeavor to post some photos later this week...

-Sylla