Here's a summary of our major accomplishments for last year:
TLC Monadnock can't do this work without your support, so again THANK YOU! We can't wait to see what we accomplish together in 2023.
This March, The Local Crowd Monadnock invites you to celebrate Shop Indie Sustainable Month.
We’re teaming up with the American Independent Business Alliance and partners throughout North America to spotlight businesses that benefit our local economy, environment, and community -- triple-bottom-line businesses such as B Corps, cooperatives, and other enterprises. We’ll highlight a few triple-bottom-line companies in this article.
Plus, we’ll spotlight more throughout March, so please stay tuned!
A certification process called B Corp helps a company “measure what matters” and better balance its purpose and profits. B Lab, the nonprofit that leads this movement, currently lists 6,367 certified businesses from 89 countries.
“B Corp Certification is holistic, not exclusively focused on a single social or environmental issue,” reads B Lab’s website. “And the process to achieve and maintain certification is rigorous and requires engaging teams and departments across your company. Recertification confirms these standards continue to be met on an ongoing basis.”
Any business can fill out the B Impact Assessment online and see how they rank. For a business to become a Certified B Corp, it must earn at least 80 points in the B Impact Assessment and pay a certification fee. The certified company receives a full report with recommendations from B Lab on how to boosts its positive impacts.
Discover More
One well-known B Corp in our region, Badger in Gilsum, makes healing balms, lip balms, sunscreens, and other personal care products.
“At Badger, we’ve always held true to what we call our North Star -- our vision for a healthier world,” says our Co-CEO, Rebecca Hamilton. “In the beginning, at a time when most businesses were making decisions based on the bottom line, Badger was making decisions based on strong mission-driven principles and ethos. In our mission statement, we say that money is a fuel, not a goal—meaning that our true reason for being in business is to enact our mission-based work and help create the healthier world we imagine. This commitment to doing the right thing for people and the planet continues to shape the way Badger does business today.”
Badger has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and installed a rooftop solar array in 2020. They strive to choose ingredients from suppliers that practice regenerative agriculture. The company works hard to reduce plastic packaging, as well.
Learn More
A new B Corp in our region, Frisky Cow Gelato in Keene, makes its decadent desserts from New Hampshire milk. Owner, Linda Rubin, has committed her businesses to sourcing at least half of all its supplies and ingredients locally and donating 2% of its annual revenue to nonprofits building our local food system and boosting food security.
“Why gelato? Back in 1983, I visited Florence, Italy and fell in love with gelato! The creamy texture and rich flavors totally won me over,” shared Linda. “Ten years later, I moved to New Hampshire and started working at Stonewall Farm, a nonprofit education center and dairy farm in Keene. I spent almost nine years working at Stonewall Farm, educating people about where their food comes from and the importance of local agriculture. I dreamed about making a value-added dairy product someday.”
Cooperatives, companies owned by their members, also represent triple-bottom-line businesses. A cooperative exists to serve its members and follows seven guiding principles, including democratic member control and concern for community.
Monadnock Food Co-op, a grocery store in Keene owned by over 4,000 community members, uses the cooperative business model. While everyone can shop at our Co-op, members receive additional benefits such as quarterly discounts, patronage refunds, and vote on who serves on the board of directors.
Monadnock Food Co-op’s roof hosts our region’s first locally owned community-supported solar project. The project is locally controlled, whereas most community solar projects are owned and managed by developers or utilities. The Monadnock Sustainability Hub developed the New Hampshire Community Supported Solar Guide from this project to help others replicate this project and bring more renewable energy to our region.
Other recent sustainability efforts include transitioning the Co-op’s deli, bulk, and produce departments’ grab & go containers from recyclable plastic to compostable packaging. You can compost these containers when you eat in the Co-op’s cafe. Also, the Co-op hosts an outdoor pick-up station for Elm City Compost customers to make home composting easier.
Coming in 2024, the Co-op will install two Electric Vehicle DC fast chargers and two level 2 electric vehicle chargers outside its building. Monadnock Food Co-op received a grant through the Volkswagen settlement funds to cover 80% of the project's costs. The remaining 20% was raised through The Local Crowd Monadnock and other fundraising efforts.
The Co-op also hosts the annual Monadnock Region Earth Festival. They will fill the space from Railroad Square to the Co-op with local vendors, artists, farmers, and producers to celebrate the Earth and our community’s commitment to sustainability. Save the date for this year’s event on Saturday, April 22 from 12 pm – 4 pm.
A big thank you to this year’s local Shop Indie Sustainable partners: Food Connects, Monadnock Food Co-op, Stonewall Farm, and TLC Monadnock.
Stay tuned for Shop Indie Sustainable Month updates and how we’re collectively building stronger local economies that support community and our environment.
What’s Move Your Money Month? It’s a time to inspire you to move your money closer to home -- by banking with a community bank or credit union and investing in locally owned businesses in our region. Move Your Money Month is part of the Shop Indie Local movement, urging individuals to boost the ripple effect of economic and community benefits we receive when we spend and invest our dollars at locally owned businesses.
When you move your money to a community bank or credit union in our region, more of your dollars recirculate throughout our local economy -- building more local jobs and prosperity.
To back up a bit, what’s the difference between traditional banks, community banks, and credit unions? Traditional banks, publicly owned by stockholders, exist to provide a return on investment to its owners. Typically, these owners do not live where the bank does business. Community banks are privately owned and not publicly traded. These banks usually serve a specific geographical region. A credit union is a cooperative, meaning its members own it -- the people who use its services and live or work locally.
“The fortunes of local banks and credit unions are intimately tied to the fortunes of their local communities. The more the community prospers, the more the local bank benefits,” said Stacy Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Big banks, in contrast, are not tethered to the places where they operate. Indeed, they often use a community’s deposits to make investments in other regions or on Wall Street.”
Banking with a community bank or credit union often means getting the same services at lower fees than larger banks. Yup, more value for you and your community. “Average fees at small banks and credit unions are substantially lower than at big banks,” added Stacy. “Studies show that small financial institutions also offer, on average, better interest rates on savings and better terms on credit cards and other loans.”
Move Your Money closer to home and closer to your heart by choosing a bank more in line with your values. Who do you bank with now? Search for them at mightydeposits.com and find out what your bank does with your money. Discover how many dollars your bank invests in your community.
“The primary activity of almost all small banks and credit unions is to turn deposits into loans and other productive investments,” shared Stacy. “Meanwhile, big banks devote a sizeable share of their resources to speculative trading and other Wall Street bets that may generate big profits for the bank but provide little economic or social value for the rest of us and can put the entire financial system at risk if they go bad.”
Learn more about community banking at ilsr.org/banking.
Top 5 Reasons to Choose a Community Bank or Credit Union
In addition to moving your money to a community bank or credit union, we encourage you to invest in locally owned businesses. Why? The Monadnock Region Indie Impact Study found that businesses rooted in our region recirculate up to four times more money in our local economy compared to national chain stores. If we invested more capital in locally owned businesses, we’d see a return on investment that included more jobs and community prosperity.
“Americans now have $56 trillion in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, pension funds, and insurance funds—nearly all of it invested in global corporations,” said Michael Shuman, author and local economist. “If you and your neighbors could shift even a small amount of that capital from Wall Street to Main Street, your local economy could flourish.”
Ready to learn more? Sign up for The Main Street Journal, published by Michael Shuman, highlighting local investing news and events. Also, we’ll share local investing opportunities on our website throughout Move Your Money Month.
Stay tuned!
We’ll also celebrate Earth Day in April. “Invest in Our Planet,” this year’s theme, connects perfectly with Move Your Money Month. Find ways to share your time, talents, and treasures with our planet by investing in locally owned businesses, sustainable agriculture, alternative transportation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and equity.
Need some inspiration? Join us at Monadnock Earth Festival on April 22, from 12 pm – 4 pm in downtown Keene. Learn about what others are doing and making to invest in our planet, enjoy performers, and participate in activities from Railroad Square Park to the Monadnock Food Co-op. Hope to see you there!
We're getting ready for Move Your Money: Bank Local, Invest Local Month that starts April 1.
One of our first steps: Identify banks that help us keep our money closer to home.
Our criteria:
Here's who we found (listed alphabetically):
Bank of New Hampshire (view impact data) Headquartered in: Laconia, NH Ownership: Mutual Branch in Antrim
GFA Federal Credit Union (view impact data) Headquartered in: Gardner, MA Ownership: Co-op Branches in Keene, Peterborough, Rindge
Mascoma Bank (view impact data) Headquartered in: White River Junction, VT Ownership: Mutual About: Certified B-Corp Branches in Keene, Peterborough, Rindge
Precision Federal Credit Union (view impact data) Headquartered in: Keene, NH Ownership: Co-op Member Eligibility
Savings Bank of Walpole (view impact data) Part of: NHTrust Financial Advisors Headquartered in: Walpole, NH Ownership: Mutual Branches in Keene, Walpole, Winchester
Service Credit Union (view impact data) Headquartered in: Portsmouth, NH Ownership: Co-op Branches in Keene, Hinsdale
Did we miss any community banks or credit unions? Send us an email.
This February, The Local Crowd (TLC) Monadnock invites you to celebrate Black-owned businesses, Black history, and diversity in our communities. We’re teaming up with the American Independent Business Alliance and partners throughout North America to promote our Shop Black-Owned campaign. Together, we can build stronger local economies that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
How can you celebrate Shop Black-Owned Month in February? Here are some ideas!
Looking for more diversity on your plate? Eat at Yahso Jamaican Grille in Keene owned by Jamaican native Gail Somers. The food is authentic, and the atmosphere makes you forget you’re living in chilly New England. Yahso means “right here” -- reflecting Gail’s commitment to making her restaurant a gathering space for community.
“We are a family at home away from home,” shared Gail. “We have made our home in New England and love it here, but we are also fortunate to have preserved some of our rich cultural roots with us in the foods we love to cook and to share and enjoy with family and friends.
How about adding more diversity to your glass? Sisters Alisa Lawrence and Nilaja Young own New England Sweetwater Farm & Distillery in Winchester with their spouses, Karl Lawrence and Kenny Young. The distillery makes vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, and a variety of creative cocktails. Many of their spirits contain locally grown ingredients, including cider apples, blueberries, and juniper berries from their own farm. Visit their inviting tasting room made from reclaimed wood and take a tour of their distillery (by appointment): newenglandsweetwater.com.
“There’s always something new to try while we guide you through the process of making each spirit and why we created it,” said Alisa. “Our spirits are cultivated from local products that spur local agriculture and sustainability.”
The more dollars spent at Black-owned businesses in our community, the more dollars recirculate in the local economy, boosting job growth, charitable giving, and overall prosperity.
Ask your favorite locally owned businesses if they carry products made or grown by Black-owned businesses. Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene plans to call out Black-Owned business products with shelf signs. Look for their signs when you shop at the Co-op throughout February.
We want to give a shout-out to one specific Black-owned business, Global Village Foods in Quechee, VT. Global Village makes delicious allergen-free samosas and African-inspired ready-to-eat dishes featuring produce from four Vermont farms. Owned by Damaris and Mel Hall, they blend their two backgrounds into one fantastic business.
“Damaris grew up in Kenya where simple, fresh ingredients and rich aromatic spices created vibrant traditional dishes for family gatherings and communal celebrations,” states Global Village Food’s website. “A world away, Mel from Memphis cherished Sunday dinners with three generations of family around a table full of bold, soulful Southern fare.”
Recently, Global Village won a grant from Vermont's Working Lands Enterprise Initiative and a New England Food Vision Prize to expand into college dining halls. Global Village will build relationships with more local farms, giving preference to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals and immigrant farmers. They’re working with the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success in Manchester and Concord, NH.
A new initiative hosted by the Keene YMCA, the Monadnock Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Coalition (MDEIB) works to promote and develop our region as a welcoming and inclusive place for all — including BIPOC individuals who live, work, and visit our community. MDEIB formed in 2021, guided by the City of Keene’s Racial Justice and Community Safety Report. Partners include community members, businesses, organizations -- and maybe you?
“To be a welcoming community and ultimately a thriving community, we need to celebrate and embrace our diverse people and cultures,” said Dan Smith, CEO of the Keene YMCA. “At the YMCA we support Shop Black-Owned Month as one small way of doing so. We see it as part of our commitment to becoming an anti-racist multicultural organization.”
The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will host the Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks both in-person in Portsmouth and virtually each Sunday in February and the first two Sundays in March. They titled this year’s theme, Bringing It Back: Conversations We Still Need.
The first Sunday’s discussion centers around the silenced stories of our history. "Before European Contact: Changing the Ways We Present Our History” on February 5 at 2 p.m. brings together panelists to bring forward our history from Indigenous and African people’s perspectives: Anthony Bogues, Director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, Brown University; Anne Jennison, New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs; and Akeia de Barros Gomes, Sr. Curator of Maritime Social Histories, Mystic Seaport Museum.
A big thank you to this year’s Shop Black-Owned Month Monadnock Region partners: Keene Family YMCA, Monadnock Food Co-op, New England Sweetwater Distillery, TLC Monadnock, and Yahso Jamaican Grille.
Stay tuned for Shop Black-Owned Month updates and how we’re collectively building stronger local economies that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
This Valentine’s Day, show your “local love” -- love for your sweetie and your whole community -- by purchasing gifts (or gift-making supplies) and meals (or ingredients) at locally owned businesses. Last year, Americans spent $23.9 billion on Valentine’s Day. Imagine if we shifted some of that spending to locally owned businesses!
Locally owned businesses offer us much to love. They strengthen our local economy, culture, and well-being. Independent businesses re-circulate more money in our community than chain stores. Moreover, studies show that small businesses create most new jobs, meaning today’s local Valentines are tomorrow’s jobs.
Last year’s National Retail Federation survey found that 53 percent of Americans planned to celebrate with candy, greeting cards, and flowers.
Small businesses made it to the top five Valentine’s shopping destinations in National Retail Federation’s survey. The local love spirit is growing! So, continue to show lots of local love this Valentine’s Day. That love will circle back to you, your loved ones, and — best of all — your entire community.
If you plan to shop for Valentine’s gifts online, please check if your favorite locally owned shop has an online store. Or browse our online collection of Valentine’s Day items from independent businesses at TLC Monadnock Mercantile.
Here are some extra special ways to show your local love this Valentine’s Day: Purchase chocolates from Ava Marie Handmade Chocolates in Peterborough, Life is Sweet Candy Shop in Keene, Ye Goodie Shoppe in Keene, and L.A. Burdick Chocolates in Walpole. Have you seen Burdick’s seasonal Chocolate Rabbits to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit? Adorable and available to ship now through January 27. Give a gift that keeps giving, select a weekly Flower CSA Share from Vera Flora Farm in Gilsum, Ripple Cut Flower Farm in Peterborough, or Catbird Flower Farm in Keene. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, meaning your purchase of a share now helps these farmers invest in the future growing season with confidence -- knowing that their bounty will go to a good home. Send a greeting card from Tree-Free Greetings. They make their cards out of sustainable materials such as kenaf, hemp, wheat straw, and sugarcane waste -- right at their solar-powered facility here in Keene. Tree-Free donates 25% of their revenue (not just their profits) to nonprofits through their Cards for a Cause program. Pick up a card online or at Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene. On February 10, join the Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene for their Local Love Sample Night from 4-6 p.m. Enjoy free samples of local and regional goodies perfect for a Valentine’s Day gift or to complement a Valentine’s Day meal.
Check out other local Valentine's events in 2023:
Looking for another way to show the local love and support local economies everywhere? Support our Shop Indie Local crowdfunding campaign on The Local Crowd Monadnock and fuel our year-round movement to grow more local, equitable, and inclusive economies.
With your help, we’ll strengthen campaigns like Plaid Friday and Eat Local Month in your community and throughout North America. Plus, we’ll add new efforts like Move Your Money and Shop Black-Owned Month.
Give Today
Offline donations are also accepted. Checks should be made out to AMIBA with “Shop Indie Local” in the memo and mailed to AMIBA, 524 Boston Post Road, Wayland, MA, 01778. Thank you for fueling the Shop Indie Local Movement!
Whether a pop-up shop, pop-up event, or pop-up planning process – the Pop-Up Economy means that whatever pops up is temporary. This short-term status makes pop-ups less risky than setting up something permanent and typically requires less investment of time and money. It allows entrepreneurs to test a new product or business idea and see how the community responds.
Check out these upcoming pop-up events here in the Monadnock Region.
Northeast Wine Company will offer Vintage: A Pop-Up Wine Experience on January 5 and February 2 from 2 – 7 p.m. at Brewtopia on Washington Street in Keene. Taste, learn about, and purchase hard-to-find wines at retail cost.
“The American Northeast is currently experiencing a renaissance of wine production, making high-quality and unique wines in every state,” said Sarah Trubnick, owner of Northeast Wine Company. “Northeast Wine Company is dedicated to showcasing sustainably and responsibly produced wines from small wineries throughout these emerging regions. We strive to make these wines available in restaurants and wine shops across New Hampshire and increase public awareness of the Northeast’s unique terroir.”
This event is free, but participants must be 21+ years old. Please register in advance. Learn more about Northeast Wine Company.
Save the date for this pop-up! The Monadnocker is thrilled to announce their Local Community Pop-Up on May 20 at His & Hers Farm in Alstead.
“Think fresh air, flowers, and sunshine! The farm’s vintage, lovingly restored barn will feature talented makers from the area with handcrafted goods, foodie flavors, and sweet surprises. Wander His & Hers Farm with its slopes, pergolas, terrace, and garden scapes, all thoughtfully created by kind and generous husband and wife owners, Dean & Wendy,” shared Caroline Tremblay from The Monadnocker. “Together, we’re planning an event filled with lives tunes, games on the grass, and crafting activities for all! If you heard the buzz about our Greenhouse Pop-Up in 2022, you know this is not a day you want to miss.”
TheMonadnocker.com is a digital, local magazine designed to spark, delight in, and celebrate the local experiences that make Southern New Hampshire so extraordinary.
Here are two pop-up examples beyond our region to inspire the growth of our Pop-Up Economy: Holiday Pop-Up Shops in Oklahoma City and Replay Lincoln Park in Chicago.
Each December since 2012, an empty corner in Oklahoma City has transformed into an outdoor shopping destination called The Holiday Pop-Up Shops. This pop-up generated over $650,000 in sales for participating shops last year and raised significant funds for its organizer, the Independent Shopkeepers Association.
Imagine cozy igloo dome tents chocked full of unique products from locally owned businesses, a Christmas tree at the center of this festive scene (much like the one on Keene’s Central Square), plus other decorations and temporary structures to host shopkeepers and attract and delight residents and visitors alike. “The Holiday Pop-Ups aren't just about supporting local shops; they're also about connecting our community through placemaking,” shared the Independent Shopkeepers Association. “We encourage customers to find new shops during the Pop-Ups and support those shops at their brick-and-mortar locations the rest of the year.” New this year, The Holiday Pop-Up Shops offered a limited number of Top Shopper Happy Hour preview passes, giving true fans access to three preview shopping nights before the shops opened to the public. Happy Hour shoppers also received special goodies from partners and sponsors. Discover more!
A vintage arcade bar in Chicago called Replay Lincoln Park offers unique experiences by launching pop-up themes. Currently, the arcade bar hosts A Very Harry Christmas Pop-Up, transforming the bar into a Harry Potter-themed winter experience with special cocktails, magical photo opportunities, and fun events throughout the month. Past pop-up themes included The Office, Shrek's Swamp, Moe's Tavern, and many more.
“These pop-up shops are a celebration of pop culture and complement our core mission, said Mark Kwia, the manager at Replay. “We’re a vintage arcade bar that celebrates an easier, more youthful time. Never grow up; it’s a trap!”
Have ideas to make our community pop with the Pop-Up Economy? Share your vision with us at jen@thelocalcrowd.com.
You love the idea of buying local, but the next thing you know … click, you bought that gift online from a business based far from our community. It’s so easy! And your one purchase won’t really make a difference… or will it? Shopping online impacts job growth, taxes, and land use patterns in our community. Why? One reason is the Local Multiplier. The Local Multiplier occurs when you spend your dollars at a locally owned and independent business instead of a chain store or online giant. Spend your dollars at independent business and your dollars recirculate through our local economy four times more than if you spent that money at a chain store or online giant. As your dollars move through our community, the money generates more local wealth, charitable contributions, and jobs.
While the image above reflects national data, Monadnock Region independent retailers return, on average, $62 of every $100 spent at their businesses back into our local economy. National chain stores return $14 of every $100 spent, while Amazon returns close to zero.
We can thank the actions of independent business owners for the Local Multiplier since they spend more of their revenue locally than chain stores and online giants. “Say you spend money at a local pharmacy,” explains local economist and author Michael Shuman. “Its employees then go to the supermarket, which might buy from a local farmer. The more times and the faster a dollar passes between hands without leakage, the more income, wealth, and jobs in a community.”
To get more specific about jobs, one study found that independent retailers employ 57 people for every $10 million in sales, while Amazon employs only 14 people per $10 million in revenue. In 2021, Amazon sales in New Hampshire displaced 8,199 retail jobs, while Amazon employed just 1,000 workers in our state. These statistics come from a Civic Economics study called “Unfulfilled.” The report found that Amazon’s sales displaced 1,014,163 retail jobs and 621.8 million square feet of commercial space nationally in 2021. In some communities, the cost to taxpayers is even higher when economic developers offer tax rebates and subsidies to attract Amazon to base some of its operations in their region. As of November 17, Amazon and its subsidiaries received over $5.1 billion in public subsidies. Learn more at goodjobsfirst.org/amazon-tracker.
The rise of online shopping, undercutting Main Street retailers, also changes land use patterns. Amazon doesn’t place its warehouses downtown but in remote industrial parks. Civic Economics concluded that as demand for Main Street storefronts declines, so will local governments’ tax revenue base. “Amazon provides a valuable convenience, one that tens of millions of households (ours included) are willing to pay $99 a year to maximize,” said Matt Cunningham from Civic Economics. “We do not believe, though, that Americans yet comprehend the nature of the tradeoffs to come. They may be asked to accept an increase of hundreds of dollars in annual household tax burden to pick up the slack from the stores they visit less often. They may be required to fund redevelopment efforts around struggling commercial districts and failed shopping centers, or to live with the boarded up storefronts.” "This unprecedented study makes abundantly clear the deleterious effects on the American economy resulting from Amazon's strategy of retail dominance," said Oren Teicher, CEO of the American Booksellers Association. "It's our hope that the facts included in this report will help policymakers and the public better understand the need for more diversity in the marketplace and recognize the potential long‐term costs of the loss of healthy local economies." Do you just love the ease of shopping online? You can still shop online and shop at locally owned businesses. Check out our online marketplace called The Local Crowd Mercantile. Discover gift ideas from 200 Monadnock region businesses. Thanks to Monadnock Food Co-op and Saving Bank of Walpole for allowing us to offer our online marketplace at no cost to participating businesses this year. Remember, every purchase -- and click -- counts. Please Shop Indie Local this holiday season: Gift Local and Give More!
Give more this holiday season. How? By joining the Shop Indie Local movement! From our Thanksgiving meal to our New Year's Eve celebration, we’re purchasing more of our holiday gifts and celebration needs from our friends and neighbors -- locally owned business owners. Please join us!
Think about the people you love. Instead of stuff, what do you truly want to give them? Perhaps it’s more hope, inspiration, or connection. Now, consider each person, place, and thing that plays a part in growing, making, and getting that gift to your loved one. When you Shop Indie Local, you give more to everyone.
When you spend your dollars at locally owned retail businesses in the Monadnock Region, four times more money returns to our local economy than if you spend that same dollar at a chain store. Spend a dollar at an independent business and 62 cents return to our local economy. (Spend it at a chain store and only 13 cents return; spend it at an online giant and only a couple pennies return.) Those 62 cents recirculate through our economy, generating ripple effects that increase job growth, charitable contributions, and community prosperity. If everyone shifted just 10% of their purchases from national chains to locally owned retailers, we would return $27 million to our regional economy annually.
Indie Impacts
Check out TLC Monadnock Mercantile, a regional online marketplace featuring a diversity of products and services from locally owned businesses. Our virtual store compiles gift ideas, gift cards, and restaurant take-out options -- all in one place. Best of all, it is free for locally owned businesses to participate.
The site includes 200 businesses offering some fabulous gift ideas for your loved ones. Many thanks to Monadnock Food Co-op and Savings Bank of Walpole for sponsoring TLC Monadnock Mercantile.
Shop Indie Local Online
This week after Thanksgiving is a super busy one for the Shop Indie Local movement as we celebrate Plaid Friday, Small Business Saturday, Artists Sunday, Cider Monday, and Giving Tuesday. Learn more!
For the thirteenth year, independent businesses and community members in the Monadnock Region will celebrate Plaid Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This year's event falls on Friday, November 25, 2022. Wear plaid on Friday to show your support for our local economy and commitment to buying local this holiday season.
Learn More: Plaid Friday
A number of locally owned businesses will serve as Plaid Friday Hubs this year. Hubs pledge to photograph you decked out in plaid and answer questions about Plaid Friday. TLC Monadnock will post all Plaid Friday photos throughout the day on our Facebook page.
Find a Hub Near You
While Plaid Friday overshadows Small Business Saturday in our region, we encourage everyone to celebrate this event, too. One way to participate is to play Shop Small Bingo. Download your bingo card at tlcmonadnock.com/shopindielocal. No matter how you get involved, every little bit makes a big difference.
November 27 is Artists Sunday, an art shopping movement of over 4,500 artists and organizations coming together to encourage consumers to shop with their favorite local artists and makers during the holiday season. Think of it as Plaid Friday but for the arts. Learn more!
Instead of Cyber Monday, a day when online merchants offer special deals, we invite you to Cider Monday. On November 28, stop in for free cider from participating Cider Monday businesses. Also, if you choose to shop online, choose local too! Learn more!
A global generosity movement, Giving Tuesday on November 29 encourages you to give any way you can. Organizers share, “Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give.” Learn more!
We invite businesses and organizations to participate in the Monadnock Region's Plaid Friday event on Friday, November 25. Celebrate in creative ways that work best for you, your staff, and neighborhood.
As a Plaid Friday Hub, your business commits to:
Here are some other ideas -- but get creative, too!
If you'd like to serve as a Plaid Friday hub this year, please contact us today.
I want to be a Plaid Friday Hub
The Local Crowd Monadnock - Mailing Address: 63 Emerald St. #114, Keene, NH 03431
