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Indie Business News Highlights

Record Store Day is this Saturday, April 21. See what's happening at indie music retailers near you and check out the hundreds of special releases for this annual event by our allies at the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and the Alliance of Independent Media Stores.

Farm to Restaurant...in a Handcart 
You've heard of Farm to Restaurant programs, but how about farms that are restaurants?

Survey Shows Prevalence of "Showrooming" 
"Showrooming" -- customers using physical stores to browse, check out or try on merchandise, then ordering from online merchants that simply fulfill orders -- is a growing challenge for storefront businesses. A recent survey quantified this, with 42% of respondents who'd made recent online purchases acknowledging they'd engaged in showrooming.

The Value of "Agency Pricing" 
An interview with the president of the Authors' Guild provides the basis for an informative overview of Amazon's impact on book and e-book publishing from an author's perspective. In related news, the American Booksellers Association explains why antitrust law should not block "agency pricing."

After Taxpayer Bailouts: Bigger Banks with Less Competition 
Before the financial meltdown and taxpayer bailout of the megabanks, the four largest banks had assets of $4.5 trillion -- 37% of the overall market. They now have $6.2 trillion and control 45% of the market. See this in-depth article from Stacy Mitchell at the newly-revamped website of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Local Origin Surpasses Organic in Consumer Preference 
It's testament to the work many of you are doing that 52 percent of respondents in a recent Mintel survey said buying local produce is even more important to them than buying organic.

 

  

Blackstone Valley IBA makes Cash Mobs fun for all ages

  

Austin IBA's press conference for the Local Biz Manifesto

  

Start planning for Independents Week 2012!

News from Local Alliances

Building a Powerful Presence in Local Government 
The Austin Independent Business Alliance presented their Local Business Manifesto this month via press conference, generating great media coverage, and the City responded promptly with a resolution to begin work on many of the provisions it identified. The manifesto and some of the key documents are collected here to inspire you.

Cash mobs: a new boost for local business? 
"Cash mobs" to boost local indie businesses have exploded in recent months, garnering national media attention. Blackstone Valley IBA, Heights IBA (Metro Cleveland), Keep St. Petersburg Local, andLet's Buy Local (RI), are among several IBAs that have capitalized on the phenomenon. Some of them have received national attention in news outlets like US News & World Report and the Christian Science Monitor.

Asheville Grown Business Alliance is next, teaming with the Asheville Downtown Association for their first mob May 16. See their new Facebook page for local mobsters.

Utah Passes Sales Tax Fairness Bill 
One way to reduce showrooming is to remove the anti-competitive sales tax exemption for remote retailers, as more states are doing, thanks to ongoing efforts by sales tax fairness advocates. In Utah, Betsy Burton and Local First Utah played a key role in driving passage of a state tax fairness bill,signed into law April 4. Metro IBA is helping drive similar state reform in Minnesota.

The Boulder IBA received a $10,000 economic development grant from Boulder County government.

Drink Local 
Shop Local Raleigh will attempt to replicate the phenomenal success of the Louisville IBA's Brewfest as it hosts the inaugural Brewgaloo on April 28.

Tell Us Your Independents Week Plans! 
It's time to plan for Independents Week 2012. Tell us what you have planned and we'll report in the May edition. See our large (free to all) library of ideas and templates to help capitalize on this popular annual campaign that celebrates the virtues of independents.

New Tools for Indie Business Owners and Advocates

Shift Large-Scale Purchasing Decisions 
Our friends at Community Wealth have produced a new paper, "Leveraging Anchor Institutions for Local Job Creation and Wealth Building." (31 pp pdf). Consider that shifting even small percentages of spending at local schools, governments, hospitals, colleges, etc. to local businesses can offer huge benefits for your local economy. It also will yield some enthusiastic members of your local business alliance! Perhaps you can drive a policy like this (Word doc excerpting from U. of Montana purchasing guidelines) at an anchor institution near you.

The Ultimate Social Media Glossary offers a useful primer for understanding many of the terms used in social media.

Is Self-insuring Worth Considering for Small Businesses? 
Self-insuring has become more popular as health insurance premiums have skyrocketed in recent years, but is it feasible for smaller businesses? This BusinessWeek article explores pros and cons.

Conference Presentations and Links Posted 
Thank you again to all the outstanding presenters, sponsors, exhibitorsand participants who made the Go Local, Grow Local conference in Louisville a great experience. We've collected some of the presenters' slideshows + articles or resources mentioned in their presentations here.

We were thrilled to see the Louisville IBA, our hosts, use the conference title and logo for their new 2012 print directory. Please contact us if you wish to use any AMIBA graphics or taglines.


Filling the Need for Fresh Produce with Small-Scale Entrepreneurism 
New York City’s Green Cart initiative has authorized 1,000 new permits for street vendors who can sell only raw fruits and vegetables in areas of the city that have been designated as lacking fresh produce options.

Measuring Your Impact 
(This is a new member resource accessible to affiliates only--please log in prior to clicking link below.) Tracking metrics of your local alliance's progress is important for member recruitment/retention, generating media coverage and attracting donations and sponsors, but we often see groups lacking such data. In response, we've collected ideas for several realms in which you might start quantifying your impact.

Get full access to the enormous library of member resources by affiliating with AMIBA -- the best investment you'll ever make if your organizing a local business alliance or buy local initiative.

Welcome to the Newest AMIBA Affiliate...

...and to New AMIBA Board Members

We're excited to welcome two new board members to the AMIBA team: Amy Huerta of the Fresno Regional IBA and Dana Eness of Stay Local! (New Orleans affiliate). See all the people of AMIBA.

We also want to honor years of outstanding service assisting independent businesses and AMIBA by Stacy Mitchell and Betsy Burton, who are downshifting from AMIBA's board to advisory board positions. Thank you!

AMIBA is a (501c3 non-profit) organization of, by and for the local groups and businesses that comprise it. If there's something you'd like to see developed, tell us about it! Your gift will keep AMIBA developing tools to help communities and hometown entrepreneurs prosper are tax-deductible.

Upcoming Events

Catch an AMIBA Speaker in Your Area or Schedule Your Own Event 
AMIBA speakers will be leading trainings in California and W. Virginia next month, with additional events recently scheduled in Ohio and Maryland. See the confirmed events and available dates here. There's no better way to instigate a local alliance, get off to a strong start, or push your existing group past a plateau! Learn more about the options.

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) hosts its popular annual conference in Grand Rapids, MI, May 15-19. The full agenda is now online and offers something for everybody.

Also BALLE's Michael Shuman will be a guest speaker at the semi-annual gathering of the New England Local Business Forum on May 4 in Cambridge.

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