America Unchained! Canada Unchained! |
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Saturday, November 17, 2007 |
Sometimes seemingly small acts have an impact bigger than you ever imagined. Take family spending. You may think you’re just fulfilling your family’s wants or needs when you shop or dine out. Think again.
The choice of where you spend your money makes a big difference to your community. Spending your money with locally-owned independent businesses puts it to work directly helping your community’s economy—just one way your community benefits from its home town businesses. They use goods and services of other locally-owned independent businesses--re-circulating your money about 3.5 times longer locally than if you spend it at a chain*. This creates greater community health and prosperity.
Now imagine the impact on your community if everyone shopped locally-owned. You can stop imagining and help make it a reality.
On November 17, communities around the country will be urged to “unchain” for just that one day—to maximize the impact of their dollars and inject potentially millions more into the local economy through doing their shopping, dining out and other business only with locally-owned independent businesses.
Just click Sign me up! (above) to involve your community! You'll join our IBAs, kindred organizations, individual community-based businesses, independent trade associations, and motivated citizens everywhere in unchaining their communities and themselves. AMIBA affiliation is not required to participate. You'll be added to the participant list and gain access to campaign information and materials (logos, templates for promotional items, press release, and more) you'll need (Unchained is a public education campaign, so willingness to recruit others and talk to the media are the only skills necessary).
Join our campaign and show your community what a difference a day can make!
Organizational Partners:
Partner with AMIBA to spread the word and engage your members and their communities! Contact us to find out more.
American Specialty Toy Retailing Assn.
Association for Enterprise Opportunity
Contact AMIBA for more information or to arrange interviews at 406-582-1255 or info“at”AMIBA.net
*Studies in Maine and Austin, Texas demonstrate that locally-owned businesses generate 3.5 times the local economic activity as chains. A study of 10 independent businesses and 10 chains in retail, restaurant and service in Andersonville, Illinois demonstrates independent businesses generate about 70 percent greater local economic activity per square foot and slightly more sales per square foot as chains. A study in San Francisco demonstrates the immense economic benefit to the community even a modest shift in personal spending can make.
Complementary Campaigns
The Big Box Collaborative is calling for an International Day of Action on Saturday, November 17 to denounce supermarkets and Big Box retailers publicly and demand these corporations respect human rights, workers rights, communities and the environment. Information at http://intldayofaction.bbc.wikispaces.net/