We’re excited to introduce a new series celebrating locally owned and independent businesses.
There is no question that people often overlook the positive impacts of independent, locally-owned (Indie Local) businesses. The local community that an Indie Local serves may understand these impacts, but those located further away may need to be made aware of these success stories. In future posts, with your help, we will feature a few of the top Indie Locals in the nation. You can nominate your favorite Indie Local by emailing us today.
French Broad Chocolate: A Sense of Place
From Chocolate Noise: In 2003, Jael Rattigan was standing in her kitchen, making a recipe from Alice Medrich’s cookbook Bittersweet, when she felt a strange tingling in her hands. “I looked at them and saw they were covered in chocolate,” she remembered. “And I said...
Sunshine Award Winner: The Penguin Gallery
From Souvenirs, Gifts & Novelties (SGN) magazine: In the quaint New Hampshire village of North Conway, The Penguin Gallery has been offering unique gifts in the community for over 50 years. “We’re that destination of: If you don’t know what you want to get...
Farm to Fingers: A Rising Star
From Local First (CO): Farm to Fingers is a full-service catering company that works with local farmers and small businesses to integrate their ethically produced goods into grazing boards and catered meals. The company began as a small operation, primarily making...
Monadnock Food Co-op Named Best NH Retailer of the Year
From Business NH Magazine: Modern grocery stores may have rows of checkout lines and massive aisles half the length of a football field chock full of products, but Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene has created a welcoming place that makes sure no matter a person’s...
Best Independent Cookie Shop in the US
Please & Thank You Cookie Shop, based in Louisville, KY, received last year's US Today Readers Choice Award for Best Cookies in America. Brooke Vaughn owns this bakery/record shop. "I wanted it to feel like your living room," Vaughn said. "Like you would walk in...
Fire Island Bake Shop: Generative Entrepreneurship and Small-Business Karma
From Alaska Journal of Commerce: If you live in Anchorage, you know the bakery is “line around the corner” popular. Sure, part of it is because of their delicious baked goods and cozy, welcoming spaces, but it’s also due to their investment in community, from jazz...
Founder of Hope & Main Named Rhode Island Woman of the Year
From Providence Journal: Lisa Raiola has changed the face of small businesses in Rhode Island. That's why the founder and president of Hope & Main in Warren, RI, is USA TODAY's Woman of the Year for the Ocean State. Ten years ago, when Hope & Main opened its...
Zingerman’s Community of Businesses
From The Main Street Journal: Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) has been a local food pioneer since it first opened its doors as a small delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan, over four decades ago. ZCoB currently employs 750 Michiganders, with annual sales of...
Artifact Soapworks
From Sustainable Business Network (MA): Artifact Soapworks is a trendsetting online soap shop offering first-rate products and exceptional customer service to shoppers from the comfort of their own homes and other locations. Established by Barbara Thomas, Artifact...
The Last Mile Café
People First Economy 2023 Good for Michigan Awardee From Rapid Growth Media (MI): Arick Davis and Sarah Laman are runners. They say that the most challenging portion of a run is the last mile. When comparing the state of the world to a long-distance run, they decided...