local business

Beer Legislation Needs Better Solutions

Submitted by Mickki Langston on Thu, 03/31/2011 - 12:07pm

House bill 1284 and Senate bill 194 are the latest attempts by national chain grocers and convenience stores to eliminiate sales of 3.2 beer in Colorado, allowing more retailers to sell full-strength beer and alcohol in Colorado.

Two years ago, we spoke in opposition to a similar bill for three main reasons:

1. It undermines the ability of local retailers to compete with national chains, presenting an unfair advantage to national grocery stores.

An Evening with Denver's Mayoral Candidates

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/25/2011 - 3:23pm

Nine of ten of Denver's Mayoral candidates gathered with 130 guests at the Tattered Cover on Wednesday evening to discuss the future of Denver's local economy. Candidates Carol Boigon, Michael Hancock, Doug Linkhart, Danny Lopez, James Mejia, Jeff Peckman, Ken Simpson, Theresa Spahn and Thomas Andrew Wolf participated in conversation around the important role small and local business plays in Denver's economy.

Denver's Future Mayor to Talk About the Future of Denver's Economy

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 1:18pm

The Mile High Business Alliance, along with the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado and Eat Denver, will host a Mayoral Candidates Forum on March 23. Denver’s Mayoral candidates will discuss policies concerning economic development and small business development throughout the Greater Denver Area and the State of Colorado.

Is your business creating meaning?

Submitted by Mickki Langston on Tue, 01/11/2011 - 1:08am

We often talk about the differences between local business and non-local business. For us, a local business is defined as one that is headquartered in Colorado, without being owned by a non-Colorado company. We then survey our members about their other habits: where their owners and employees live, who they purchase from, and to whom they sell their goods and services.

These measurements and definitions are, to some extent, arbitrary. Not all local businesses are good, just like not all non-local businesses are evil. But our current economic policies and structures are blind to any other kind of measurement except one: the capacity of a business to make a profit.

Record Store Day - April 17th

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 11:25am

2010 Record Store Day

By Paul Epstein of Twist & Shout

Three years ago when the first Record Store day so wildly exceeded our expectations, it seemed like it might just be a fluke. We’d seen so many things that were thrown at the wall, with the vain hope of sticking, slide goopily to the floor in a well-meaning heap. Then last year when it turned out to be even bigger than year one (in spite of a snow storm) we started to believe this thing might just grow some hair.

Community Food Enterprises: Local Competitive Advantage

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 9:05am

A while back, I posted: Study Finds Growing Competitiveness for Community Food Enterprises. The momentum towards small food businesses is ever growing, so I decided that it was about time to write another post.

Consumers Buy Into 'Buy Local'

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 9:04pm

February 18th 2010

By: Kimberly Weisul

More groups are forming to send shoppers to home-grown independent businesses. But their impact on jobs is hard to quantify.

By now, residents of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood have figured out that their trendy new coffee shop, 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea, is actually owned by Starbucks. With fresh flowers, beans ground to order, and a "help yourself" policy regarding used coffee grounds—for composting, of course—the store could pass for a locally owned café.

Vote for Your Fav LOCAL Businesses!

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 02/23/2010 - 4:24pm

The polls are open, folks! Let's show these two publications that our favorite businesses are local businesses! Whether you're a sucker for SOBO 151 or go gaga for Gallagher Books, make your opinion known while simultaneously showing support for the local economy.

I Love Local this Valentine's Day

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 2:29pm

Graphic taken from Boulder Weekly's I <3 Local Campaign. This Valentine's Day, we're asking you to give a little love to local businesses. Supporting our local economy in turn supports our community.

Did you know that 600% more of the money you spend at local businesses recirculates in within our community, making it 6 times more likely to come back to you.

A little bit of love sure goes a long way. Here are a few suggestions for meeting your V-Day needs via local businesses.

Nationwide Survey Shows Power of "Buy Local" Campaigns

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 12:01pm

Locally-owned independent businesses outperform average retailer sales during 2009 holidays. Those with active Buy Local campaigns fared best.

Originally posted here.

MINNEAPOLIS - Jan. 14, 2010

More holiday shoppers deliberately sought out locally owned businesses this year, according to a national survey of more than 1,800 independent businesses.

The survey found that holiday sales for independent retailers were up an average of 2.2%. That contrasts with the U.S. Department of Commerce figures released today, which show that overall retail sales were down 0.3% in December and up 1.8% in November.

The survey also found that independent retailers in cities with active "Buy Independent / Buy Local" or "Local First" campaigns reported stronger holiday sales than those in cities without such campaigns. These campaigns have been launched in more than 100 cities and towns. Independent retailers in these cities reported an average increase in holiday sales of 3.0%, compared to 1.0% for those in cities without an active Buy Local initiative.