An update of a popular blog post from 2008

The 4th of July holiday is a great opportunity to celebrate Independence Day by shooting off some PR fireworks calling attention to the importance of shopping with independent retailers.  The Independents’ Day effort started as part of the Buy Local movement, drawing on the interests of economists, farmers, politicians, environmentalists and retailers. This groundswell of support for locally owned business can be a real boon to independent shopkeepers trying to compete with national chains and online shopping.

Economic data supports the concept that locally owned business gives more back to the community than chain stores.  A much-quoted study from the Chicago neighborhood of Andersonville, conducted by Civic Economics in 2004, states that for every $100 spent with a local firm, $68 stays in Chicago, in comparison to only $43 of every $100 spent with a chain firm.  This makes good sense —  after all, the independent hires a local lawyer, advertising agency, and accountant and keeps any profits in the community rather than sending them off to shareholders in Bentonville, Arkansas, or some other city.

Consumers may not realize the importance of where they spend their dollars. Many cities and smaller communities have started awareness campaigns to educate the public about the economic and environmental impact of supporting locally owned businesses. Rather than coming out as “anti-chain,” these public relations efforts have encouraged thoughtful decision making in each buying choice.

Your shop could band together with neighboring stores, restaurants and service businesses to use the 4th of July holiday to highlight this message.  Sponsor a kids poster or essay contest, give out coupons, offer free refreshments at each stop – and be sure to invite the press in order to get the message out about supporting independents.

There is no longer a national buy local organization sponsoring an Independents’ Day celebration in the U.S., but the idea is still going strong in the UK. Independents’ Day is a campaign to support and promote independent retail businesses across the UK all year round, but with an annual focus on Friday and Saturday July 4th-5th. According to their website, “Independents account for something in the order of 65% of the approximately 290,000 retail outlets in the UK and are at the heart of local communities throughout the country.”  This is certainly as true in the US as it is in the country we became independent from on the 4th of July so many years ago.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder