June 30, 2004
Supporting locals; a notable life
By ERNEST HOOPER, Times Columnist
Root, root for the home team.
It's all any franchise wants from its fans, and really, it's all any business wants from its patrons.
The Tampa Independent Business Alliance kicks off Independent Business Week tonight in the hopes that after years of providing local flavor, they will get some flavor in return. When you look at the directory of members, it's largely a list of all the restaurants and businesses we rave about when describing what makes the city special: Mise En Place, Viva La Frida, Bay-to-Bay Hardware, Greiner's, Inkwood Books, Vinyl Fever, Bern's, Whaley's.
Yet we probably need to do more than rave. It's always after one of our favorites close that we realize we had been bypassing them for the chains. The truth is locally-owned independent businesses succeed in the face of serious outside competition.
A.J. Grimaldi has a soft spot for independent business. Grimaldi first learned about the American Independent Business Alliance when he was a vice president at the Columbia Bank. The independent bank has since been sold and Grimaldi now runs a human resources consulting business, but he never lost the idea of having an independent alliance.
"My in-laws live in Arcadia and I saw what happened when they got big box retailers," Grimaldi explained. "The two local hardware stores closed, the two local drug stores closed, two of three local clothing stores closed. The impact is real; it's not imagined."
Now as a board member for the Tampa alliance, Grimaldi is hoping the message of supporting locals takes hold. Studies show that money spent with local businesses recirculates in the community at a greater rate, not only with other businesses but with charitable organizations, he said.
The week officially starts Thursday and runs through July 7, but tonight's monthly Old Hyde Park Village Summer Concert will partially benefit the alliance, and alliance game boards will be distributed for a contest featuring $2,000 in prizes.
To learn more, go to www.tibatampa.org
©St. Petersburg Times 2004
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