IBA News
Issues Affecting Independent Business
General
Watching the Chains
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IBAs in the News
11/27/06
Look for a community's spirit in local stores and shops
Portland, Maine editorial urges citizens to support locally-owned businesses
11/26/06
Repeat Retail: When is enough enough?
Raleigh IBA issues challenge to community to shift percentage of spending to home town businesses
11/21/06
Ensuring The Buck Stops Here
Portland Buy Local changing the landscape for home town business and local economic health
11/7/06
Is City Bending Rules For REI?
Santa Fe Alliance says height restriction should not be skirted for proposed REI in City-owned retail space
9/20/06
Local Spoken Here
Austin IBA's IBIZ program banners flying high over independent business enclaves.
9/10/06
The chaining of America
Are chains inevitable? AMIBA chimes in for Chicago Tribune report
8/28/06
Neighborhood character shines in Austin
Austin IBA's IBIZ program shows off local businesses and brings community together
Sugar House losing its cool
Salt Lake City's quirky shopping district challenged by its own success, Vest Pocket Coalition at work to stop further chain influx
This is a problem everywhere -- a commercial district brimming with unique local businesses hits its stride, then the chains want in. Property owners and zealous developers must learn the ramifications of their decisions -- beyond money in their pockets. See another article about the same problem in Washington, DC's DuPont Circle
8/19/06
Harrison County IBA's ethanol "still" to help local farmers enter the new energy age
8/18/06
The joys of cooking locally raised food celebrated by 30 restaurants
Gallatin Valley IBA program puts local first from Farm to Table
8/16/06
Local ingredients combine for a prize-winning pie
"Build St. Louis was sponsoring a locally
grown pie contest, and I really took it to heart."
7/4/06
New IBA launching in Portland, Maine shoves off with Independents Week
6/ 23/06
Austin IBA launches second Independent Business Improvement Zone to help revitalize multicultural area of Austin, draw interest
Two more districts being requested by City Councilors
6/23/06
Tampa IBA to celebrate Independents Week
Participating businesses realize the need to speak up
5/25/06
Big Box Bookstore is no substitute for library or independent bookstore, nor is it a solution to economic development woes
WIBA teams up with public library to enlighten public in opinion piece
5/2006
AMIBA is profiled in May 2006 issue of Hope Dance magazine
Read the interview with AMIBA founder Jeff Milchen about our origins: how philosophy led to action and the nation's first IBA.
4/10/06
Should the Wal-Mart Corporation be allowed to enter the banking industry? Based on our own testimony before the FDIC, here's our op-ed outlining our opposition to Wal-Mart's application.
4/5/06
Wal-Mart's new strategy of entering blighted urban areas with claims of benefit to small local business and community is less beneficial than it appears--and the benefit is to stockholders, not communities. We let the press know our view--see AMIBA's press release.
3/17/06
Columbia's IBA maintains the uniqueness of Columbia in face of first Starbucks
Issues
8/25/06
New Orleans shops struggle to survive
The character of the Big Easy largely was defined by its independent businesses -- post-Katrina, it's now in jeopardy
8/14/06
Life Around Dupont Circle Takes a New Turn
Washington, DC's funky DuPont Circle, once the dominion of quirky independent businesses, is experiencing the influx of chains...and all that comes with them.
This is a predictable problem. Here's another article about the same issue in Salt Lake City
7/16/06
The Graying of the Record Store
Recorded music stores aren't just threatened by chains, but by online downloading.
6/28/06
Passion and guts in a bottle: a foodie's view of independent wineries v. the biggies
The issues come out for Independents Week!
2/3/06
Christian booksellers fear Wal-Mart, chain booksellers
General
Watching the Chains
10/22/06
Starbucks continues to push beyond coffee into other industries
This master of exclusive deals continues to threaten independent businesses and the mere idea of a "free market"
9/19/06
From what makes an effective ad to store floorplan, the chains are engaging science to help them understand shopping behavior -- and indies can learn from the results.