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.
Community Wealth Building: Transforming Local Economies
“Amid the chaos and breakdown of our time, imagining such a thing as economic system change can seem daunting, overwhelming, impossible,” said Marjorie Kelly, a distinguished senior fellow at the Democracy Collaborative. “The truth is system change is already emerging...
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...
The Grain Shed: Brewer, Baker, Social-Bond Maker
From Measure Meant (WA): The Grain Shed is a vertical co-op located in Spokane, Washington. It was founded by four people: a grain grower, a brewer, a maltster, and a baker. All the grain grown to produce the bread and the beer is grown within 100 miles of the...
Parkway Bakery Since 1911
From Parkway (LA): Parkway Bakery and Tavern first opened for business in 1911, and it has been a New Orleans icon ever since... Back in those days, every neighborhood in NOLA had a bakery on the corner. Over the next seven years, Timothy Sr. established Parkway’s...