Local Alliances

Local alliances have made a huge impact across the country in fighting off the proliferation of big box stores and chains from Main Streets. By standing as a unified, local and vocal merchant association, changes can be made in your community. Regardless of size, studies prove that local merchants reinvest in their communities at a 60% higher rate than chain stores. Merchants with local alliances saw a marked improvement in sales this past holiday season while other retailers suffered. Your local government and consumers need to know the financial as well as cultural impact of a diverse, locally owned retail environment.

The NAIBA Board of Directors is so strongly committed to local alliances as an essential business asset that it has negotiated a special membership with the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) of $300 for regional local alliances. This benefit has been generously underwritten by Bookazine, who has also pledged grants of $500 for in-town meetings with the folks from AMIBA. AMIBA will give you all the tools, paperwork, facts, figures, and confidence to energize your locally owned independent merchants and convince consumers and politicians that the money they spend should stay in the community. Read more about Bookazine's support of local alliances here.

Relying on booklovers to sustain your business without informing them of their role in your survival is futile. Use the information that is available to educate yourself, your customers, and your community about the value of locally owned independent businesses, and how they can make a difference in their communities. Become an asset and a voice with a local alliance, showing that you, too, want the best for your hometown.

While you need to put in some time and knock on a lot of doors, you don't need to reinvent the wheel. There are many studies and organizations with the information you'll need to convince fellow merchants to organize. Here are some links to get you started:

Books on the subject
Studies on the financial impact of chain stores in communities
Where to Start to Stop a Big Box Invasion
www.AMIBA.net
IndieBound
www.newrules.org/retail/midcoaststudy.pdf
www.andersonvillestudy.com
www.livingeconomies.org
www.ilsr.org
www.hometownadvantage.org
www.ibuyaustin.com
www.SFLOMA.org
www.CivicEconomics.com
www.sconnect.org
2007 San Francisco Retail Diversity Study