NIBA challenges business and council to review idea of expansion
By Paul Jones
Staff Writer
For years, Novato’s city council, staff, business associations, chamber of commerce, and concerned citizens have wrestled with different visions of the city’s commercial expansion. Now, a new organization is calling for local independent businesses to come together with their needs and ideas, to lobby the Novato community and government against “Big Box” development while promoting local patronage for small, local businesses.
Named NIBA, the Novato Independent Business Alliance, the group officially formed after joining AMIBA, the American Independent Business Alliance. According to the group’s press release, a presentation by Jeff Milchen, a representative of AMIBA, at a July 26 Sustainable Novato forum inspired a number of activists and local business owners. Former city council candidate Annan Paterson, president of Sustainable Novato, coordinated with the group and played a significant role in its formation. According to the group, its mission is “promoting the importance of supporting locally owned businesses by preventing displacement by chains and helping citizens regain control over our community’s future” through local government lobbying and public relations.
The group held an open mixer Nov. 15 at Finnegan’s Marin, from 6 to 7 p.m. Members in attendance spoke about their reasons for starting the organization, and what they intended to accomplish.
“It’s not about remaining the same so much as it is about positive change, and not turning into another suburb,” said Mischa Buchholz, co-owner of Suburban Habitat on Grant Ave, and one of the group’s founding members, along with husband Matt Buchholz, also co-owner of Suburban Habitat.
“From our personal perspective … we’d like to see more small, independent businesses rather than big boxes in Novato,” said Matt Buchholz.
Matt Buchholz said he believed that “anchors” such as major chain stores, would bring shoppers downtown, but “an anchor can (also) be the movie theater opening, or Whole Foods … where our particular stores are located (on Grant Ave.) I don’t know how much having anchor-type stores up on Redwood Boulevard is going to help us.”
The redevelopment of Redwood Blvd. is a city project to relocate private and public entities and build a shopping center along the strip.
“There are definitely mixed opinions in our group about that particular issue,” said Mischa Buchholz.
Chip Young, owner of Pini’s Ace Hardware, said the new organization would take such differing opinions and work to find common objectives.
“The biggest thing is there isn’t a voice for the independent businesses of Novato,” he said. “This group will give that voice.”
Shannon Doherty of Glazy Daze, said the group’s current strategy was to get out its message, and that a larger drive for membership would likely wait until after the holiday shopping season.
“As business owners, we’re all busy with the holidays,” she said.
Doherty said that despite the group’s ambitious membership aims and policy objectives, it was not meant as a replacement for existing business groups.
“We see ourselves as complimenting those groups,” she said. “I’m a member of the Downtown Novato Business Association … (but) each of those groups has their own views … and we wanted to form on that fills those gaps and is a voice for independent businesses.”
Paterson’s comments were consistent with many of her statements regarding growth during her campaign run, and her work through Sustainable Novato.
“I’ve said this publicly: one of the places I admire and enjoy is 4th Street in Berkeley,” she said. “You’ve got this really healthy, exciting mixture of more recognizable names along with locally-owned independent businesses, and everybody benefits from each other … I see that model as a potential model for Novato.”
Coy Smith of the Novato Chamber of Commerce, which did not endorse Paterson’s run for office, said his organization had not yet formed an official position regarding the new group.
“We’ve had no discussion about it as of yet,” he said. “I can tell you we clearly support independent businesses being here, but as the same time, if we were going to form up a position, we believe that a good strong economic retail mix includes both independent businesses and franchises and chains. I’ve talked with people (who’ve come from Vintage Oaks) who then obviously went downtown (to shop).”
City council members and staff have also commented recently on the importance of protecting small businesses, and using development not only to bring in revenue, but increase local patronage of Novato businesses, and even attract non-resident customers to Novato with anchor stores. It remains to be seen if they, the Novato Independent Business Association, and other interested organizations share the same definitions.
http://www.novatoadvance.com/articles/2007/11/28/business/doc474dca1e3e9df937785885.txt
© 2007 Novato Advance
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