If you are like me, you’ve been too busy keeping your store afloat to participate in a “flash mob.” These are happenings in which a large number of people suddenly show up in a public location, having been alerted via e-mail, cell phones, Facebook, and other social media. They then perform a brief, unique act — such as these pillow fight participants from San Francisco in 2007.

The Cambridge Local First and 10PercentShift organizations in the Boston area decided to use the flash mob idea to promote supporting locally owned business. On Thursday, June 25 they organized a “shift mob” event at 5:00 p.m. at the Harvest Co-op and the Clear Conscience Cafe at 581 Massachusetts Ave. in Central Square in Cambridge. There was music and free food samples.

“We were trying to not only raise awareness, but also to change behavior,” said Laury Hammel, chairman of 10PercentShift.

“If everyone decided to dedicate 10 percent of their normal spending to locally owned stores, it would create thousands of local jobs,” said Hammel, the owner of four area health clubs in the Boston Herald.

The Cambridge event was the first Shift Mob, but hopefully not the last. If you’d like to use this idea in your Buy Local campaign, contact Shift Mob at http://www.shiftmob.org

Our Buy Local campaign took advantage of the 4th of July week to mount an “Independents Week” promotion that didn’t include a Shift Mob, but did feature several dozen locally business owners in matching t-shirts being photographed in an arrow formation by a kite-held aerial camera.  This image will be used in future promotions, along with our brand-new 90 page guide to locally-owned businesses.  Let me know what you did to celebrate your “independents” this week!

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder