In 1952, there were 104 grocery stores in Dubuque (!). Today there are 12. Walmart & Hy-Vee split the market. The Telegraph Herald has an in-depth look at the state of local grocery stores across Iowa & how the demise of Robinson-Patman enforcement fueled consolidation & food deserts.

Fresh off the press ☕️ Our January Choose Indie Local monthly newsletter. Read it here: buff.ly/s9cLgNn #ChooseIndieLocal

We believe it, and we ain't giving up on helping others achieve it! Hope you'll join us for more social impact shenanigans in 2026. 🧡 (See what else we believe: prosperapartners.org/who-we-are/our-ways-of-being)

Do you want to shift the economic paradigm in Rhode Island? Join our Public Awareness Committee. Our next meeting is Friday, Jan. 9, 12 noon, via zoom.

"Investing in a local, circular economy – through wasted food prevention, local composting, and local food production – creates a community playbook that keeps dollars and resources local, rather than lining the pockets of Big Waste." ~ @ilsr buff.ly/Lfwrfnb #chooseindiesustainable

Support for local businesses doesn't have to end with the holidays. Make it a habit for 2026 to choose local, independently-owned businesses first.

Choose Indie Local in 2026 🗳️

✨ SAVE THE DATE ✨ Join Prospera Partners and Seekees Consulting for a free, virtual session on January 22 to begin your purposeful work! We'll chat about social impact goals, purpose driven business ideas, and responsible entrepreneurship. Register: bit.ly/biz-on-purpose-jan #SocialImpact #SocEnt

The Jane Jacobs approach to local economies: "At the core of these robust and vital regional economies would be the capacity to meet the economic, social, and cultural needs of the people of the region from within the region, not in a spirit of isolationism but in a spirit of self-determination."

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Any last minute shoppers out there? Local businesses are waiting for you.

If you like the work we do, join us as a recurring donor. For a volunteer-run organization like ours, your support makes a world of difference. localreturn.org/wont-you-be-...

You can find the full investigation — plus our guide to how to tell if your local government is being hoodwinked by Amazon, and what to do about it — here:

New York’s affordability crisis flows from a deeper problem: essential systems — groceries, energy, Internet, banking, healthcare — have consolidated in the hands of distant corporations. Today, ILSR sent the Mamdani team a memo laying out policies to reclaim local control. ilsr.org/articles/mem...

Choosing to support the businesses, artists, instructors, bakers, farmers, in your own community is a gift that keeps on giving back to your local tax base!

✨ Give the gift of an experience. Pair up a movie gift certificate with a dinner gift certificate at a local favorite eatery and have a night out with someone. Give classes to things lead by local instructors.

Keeping it local for the holidays doesn't have to be hard! Think about your community first and get creative:

Discover more about Myti, on a mission to build the next evolution in shopping: an experience that allows a community to order everything from everyday essentials to local favorites online while keeping money in their local economy. Join us on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 1 pm EST. buff.ly/E8i4KAV

Locally owned businesses contribute more money to the local tax base for needed services like libraries, first responders, emergency services, and contribute much more on average to local nonprofit organizations and civic groups/nonprofits in the form of volunteer time and donations.

well based on the past couple weeks it seems like a lot of people are getting books as gifts this year

Fa-la-la-la-LOCAL! How are your Shop Indie Local efforts going? 🎁 We hope you're having fun and making waves in your local economy! 🌊

More reasons to keep it local: Chain stores typically pay the minimum wage (sometimes the living wage if a city or state has that), but locally owned businesses typically offer more than the living wage and offer better benefits and perks in order to compete with chains and corporations.

Aren’t we lucky to live in a place where this is so easy? Support your local independents AND give the best gifts!

❄️ Cold weather often draws life out of public spaces, but holiday markets have become a central strategy for keeping urban life vibrant. We'll uncover the magic in our live webinar, "Warming Up with Holiday Markets" on Thu, 12/11, 12-1pm ET. Register: 🔗 pps.org/events/made-...

1. Amazon has become a major force in how cities, counties & schools buy basic supplies. Our new report finds Amazon is using opaque pricing algorithms to drive up costs and eliminate transparency—while harming competition by pushing out better-performing independent suppliers.

There’s nothing like a friend who believes enough in your mission to literally buy into it. It's literally what building community wealth requires. Join us as a monthly donor; as a sign of our gratitude you’ll receive a set of beautiful, locally-designed gift tags. localreturn.org/wont-you-be-...

It's the Most Wonderful Time to Give Local

Every day is a good day to shop small and local...including today!

@theamiba.bsky.social Shop Indie Local campaign celebrates locally owned businesses and works to increase spending at these businesses.

It's #PlaidFriday! 🧡🏁 ASBN is partnering with @theamiba.bsky.social to celebrate small, local, indie businesses—the backbone of sustainable economies. Our team wore plaid AND shopped local. How are you supporting small businesses today? #ShopLocal #SmallBusiness #ASBN #ShopIndie

“To live means to buy, to buy means to have power, to have power means to have responsibility.” Resist AND Revitalize: buff.ly/6xMxLpi

If you’re planning to shop the sales tomorrow, may they all be local!

🎁 Give a Gift of Job Growth 🎁 Local, independent retail businesses help employ many more people than those on the sales floor. They’re more likely to bank with local banks and buy from other local businesses than from chain stores.

I recently told a colleague that my blood pressure immediately goes down when I enter a bookstore or start a new book, so I thought I’d share some good books that are also useful for these chaotic and difficult times. Plus, they just might inspire some social impact ideas for you, too! — Vicki

Play local returns bingo, the Thanksgiving edition.

Celebrating People and Planet First week gives us a great excuse to share—in plain terms—what we do. As a People and Planet First verified business, we are proud to work for the greater good, creating real change for communities and putting people and planet first. #PPFWEEK #PeopleAndPlanetFirst

Invest in Your Neighborhood ... Mall mainstreetjournal.substack.com/p/invest-in-...

The first ripple: You benefit from expertise.

The best part of choosing local is bragging about it! Tell your friends and family *why* you choose to spend with local and independently owned businesses and service providers. We can all be local economy champions.

We're proudly People and Planet First Verified and joining a global celebration of enterprises that put purpose before profit during People and Planet First Week 2025! #PPFWEEK #PeopleAndPlanetFirst #PurchasingwithPurpose

Rhode Islanders, check out our summary of Small Business Rising’s webinar on fighting back against illegal pricing.

Hey @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social! How about a NYC Public Bank? mainstreetjournal.substack.com/p/hey-zohran...

The Race to Lead 2025 survey will offer critical insights into race, leadership, and equity in the nonprofit sector. Anyone who currently works for pay at a np org in the US or its territories, regardless of role or title, should fill this out 1/2 survey.alchemer.com/s3/8366111/n...

"We believe that shopping local is more than finding unique products; it's about investing in the people and places that make the Monadnock Region such a special place to live," said Elizabeth Hamshaw, General Manager of The Cheshire Horse, Plaid Friday Hub.

Our Local Energy Policy Toolkit is now available to all lawmakers and advocates who want to build clean energy economies in their community — without waiting for Congress. Check it out: ilsr.org/energy/local...

Keeping it local: How shopping close to home strengthens our community buff.ly/kY5hyVh #ShopIndieLocal

Vicki will be leading a Local Leaders Roundtable for the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) @theamiba.bsky.social on November 13 Learn more and register here: amiba.net/events/#!eve...

On Plaid Friday, embrace everyone already wearing plaid, document it with a picture, and watch it grow. buff.ly/dj8w5uG

RSVP today! ⏰ Why do mega retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and the dollar chains get better deals from suppliers than independent businesses do? Learn how mega retailers use their market power to extract illegal pricing from suppliers and how to fight back Oct 28: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

"Send in the Clowns-or Puppets-to All the Protests" Read Vicki's latest reflecting on her Bread and Puppet Theatre days and more open.substack.com/pub/pozzebon...