The American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) partnered with The Local Crowd Monadnock to launch a crowdfunding campaign. This campaign will raise funds to grow AMIBA’s Shop Indie Local program, a year-round movement to grow more local, equitable, and inclusive economies.
“For the past decade, our Shop Indie Local partners have pulled together to support locally owned businesses during the holiday season,” said Jen Risley, AMIBA’s Shop Indie Local Coordinator. “Now, we invite you to fuel our year-round movement!” Our crowdfunding campaign will offer a limited number of rewards to individuals who give at certain financial levels. For example, for $25, a campaign supporter can opt to receive a signed copy of local economist Michael Shuman‘s latest book, Put Your Money Where Your Life Is. Offline donations are also accepted. Checks should be made out to AMIBA with “Shop Indie Local” in the memo and mailed to AMIBA, PO Box 6601, Cincinnati, OH, 45206-9998.
Support Our Campaign Today!
Come to Downtown Keene for a day of free winter fun for everyone!
Ice Carvers, Snow Sculptures, Children's Train Ride, Snow Slide, Circus Arts, Campfire Smores, Sugar on Snow, Sidewalk Sales, Find the Yetis Scavenger Hunt & Free Signature Hot Chocolate Stations, Face Painting & More.
Stay Updated
A big thank you to everyone who gave a gift to our community -- by shopping at locally owned businesses this holiday season. Now, here’s your chance to stand up for our independent businesses this New Year. Congress is debating six historic anti-monopoly bills aimed primarily at Big Tech corporations. These bills can help level the playing field for small businesses and curb some of the negative impacts these corporations have on our local economy. Keep reading to learn more and then contact your representatives today. Online sales affect jobs, taxes, and land-use patterns in local communities. In terms of 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 2018, Amazon sales in New Hampshire resulted in a net loss of 4,287 retail jobs. The latter statistic came from a study by Civic Economics called Prime Numbers: Amazon and American Communities. The study found that Amazon’s sales in 2018 resulted in the loss of over $5.5 billion in tax revenues, 900,000 retail jobs, and 540 million square feet of commercial space nationally. In New Hampshire, the study calculated that Amazon’s sales displaced 296 retail storefronts in our state.
Read More
Another way Amazon impacts small businesses is through third-party sales. Here’s an excerpt from a new report called Amazon’s Toll Road by Stacy Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance: One of the most striking measures of Amazon’s monopoly power is the extraordinary amount of money that it’s able to extract from the independent businesses that rely on its site to reach customers. In this report, we find that, over the last two years, Amazon’s revenue from the fees it levies on third-party sellers has more than doubled. In 2019, Amazon pocketed $60 billion in seller fees. This year, its take will soar to $121 billion, our analysis finds. Amazon’s dominance of online retail means that small businesses have little choice but to rely on its site to reach consumers. This report finds that Amazon is exploiting its gatekeeper power to pocket a growing cut of the revenue earned by these independent sellers. It’s doing this by imposing ever-larger fees on them. These exorbitant fees make it nearly impossible for sellers to sustain a viable business online. Most fail. Operating an unregulated, monopoly tollbooth that sits between businesses and consumers is wildly lucrative. Amazon’s revenue from the tolls it imposes on sellers has soared, growing much faster than every other major revenue stream, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), its vast cloud division. These fees generate huge profits for Amazon, a fact that the tech giant conceals in its financial reports. Amazon’s ability to extract such steep tolls from businesses selling online is a striking illustration of its monopoly power. These fees also play a crucial role in how Amazon maintains that power. As this report details, Amazon depends on profits from seller fees to fund massive losses in other areas of its operations — losses that serve to entrench and expand its dominance. Policymakers must act to end Amazon’s exploitation and create an open, dynamic, and competitive online market. Read the full report and please stand up for small businesses today!
With an aging population, smaller family size, and stagnant wages, we need to pursue creative solutions to overcome our region's housing shortage. An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) -- a home built on the lot of an existing home -- offers one underutilized solution where a homeowner becomes a home creator. Learn more about ADUs at a free, virtual discussion called "ADUs: How Homeowners Can Become Home Creators" on Wednesday, November 3, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Register today!
Panelists will share the positive impacts of ADUs, what's preventing us from building more ADUs, and how we can overcome these barriers. We'll hear from Christopher Lee from Backyard ADUs, RJ Adler from Wheel Pad, Tyler Maas from Vermont State Housing Authority, and Barbara Conrey from Sustainable Montpelier Coalition. James Vayo of Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission will moderate the discussion. Event partners include Southwest Region Planning Commission, Vital Communities, and The Local Crowd Monadnock.
Why Shop Indie Local early this holiday season? Supply and staffing shortages mean locally owned businesses face even more challenges this year. Let's ensure that independent businesses have strong end-of-the-year sales by supporting them now: Pre-order gifts and supplies today, buy a gift card, support our crowdfunding campaign, and share on social media how much you love locally owned businesses (tag your post with #shopindielocal).
Wear plaid on Plaid Friday to show your support for our local economy and commitment to buying local this holiday season. The day to wear plaid this year is Friday, November 26!
Some independent businesses will serve as Plaid Friday Hubs. Hubs will photograph customers decked out in plaid and answer questions about Plaid Friday and Monadnock Buy Local. In addition to hubs, some members will offer special events to thank you for stopping in. Stay tuned!
We will add all the photos taken to our annual collage, celebrating everyone who wore plaid to honor the day. Check out our gallery of 500 pictures from past Plaid Fridays.
RSVP: Plaid Friday
Also, don't forget that our Shop Indie Local crowdfunding campaign ends October 31. We're at 75% of our goal -- so close! With your support now, we will inspire more and more AND MORE community participation in Plaid Friday this year. Together, we will leverage the importance of supporting locally owned businesses, encourage more of us to shift our holiday spending to independent businesses, and affirm your dedication to the local economy movement.
Contribute to our success and support us today!
Scroll down our page and claim a reward from Cheshire Garden, Life Is Sweet, or Monadnock Food Co-op (while supplies last). If you prefer to send a check, please make one out to Monadnock Food Co-op with Shop Indie Local in the memo. Please mail it to Monadnock Food Co-op, c/o Jen Risley, 34 Cypress Street, Keene, NH, 03431. Thank you!
Do you have an incredible project just waiting to happen -- one that would strengthen your business, our community, and the local economy -- if only you had the funds to make it happen? Will your project support community goals while keeping to a budget of $15,000 or less? If you said yes to these questions, please consider applying to launch a crowdfunding campaign with The Local Crowd.
TLC Monadnock will select up to six teams to participate in its next crowdfunding cohort, based on each project's potential to positively impact their local economy and community. Accepted proposals will launch their campaigns in winter or early spring 2022.
Additionally, TLC Monadnock will award one proposal a free video produced by 710 Main Films to support their crowdfunding campaign. Studies show that crowdfunding campaigns with videos raise four times more funds than campaigns without videos.
While we welcome all for-profits, nonprofits, and community initiatives to apply, we'll give preference to projects that address affordable housing, local food and farms, and equity.
All proposals are due before 5:00 p.m. on October 31, 2021.
View all the details.
What are “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs), and how can they help address our regional housing shortage? Find out in this free, virtual discussion, ADUs: How Homeowners Can Become Home Creators, on Wednesday, November 3, 5:30-7 pm.
New Hampshire and Vermont, like much of the nation, are struggling to create housing options that meet the needs of a changing population and a shifting economy. Our population is aging, with many older adults wanting to remain in their communities but who cannot find appropriately scaled, universally accessible homes nearby. Households are becoming smaller, with families choosing to have fewer children and consequently looking for housing that’s smaller than the conventional single-family home. Wages have remained flat while housing costs have soared, straining household budgets and putting much of the housing market out of reach for working and middle-class families.
Addressing these challenges will require pursuing a variety of strategies and creating a range of housing types. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)—a home built on a lot of an existing home—offer one approach that communities and ordinary homeowners can use to create much-needed housing that fits within the context of a surrounding neighborhood.
Join us for a virtual discussion about:
Our panelists will include:
This virtual discussion will be moderated by James Vayo of Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission and is brought to you by Southwest Region Planning Commission, Vital Communities, and The Local Crowd Monadnock.
While we welcome all for-profits, nonprofits, and community initiatives to apply, we’ll give preference to projects that address affordable housing, local food and farms, and equity.
Apply Today!
For a decade, our community has come together to support our locally owned businesses and the Shop Indie Local movement. This year's Shop Indie Local efforts (including our community's signature Plaid Friday and Cider Monday events) will provide critical relief to local business owners -- our friends and neighbors.
With your support now, we will inspire more and more AND MORE community participation. This is THE year to support this movement. Together, we will leverage the importance of supporting locally owned businesses, inspire more of us to shift our holiday spending to independent businesses, and affirm your dedication to the local economy movement.
If you prefer to send a check, please make one out to Monadnock Food Co-op with Shop Indie Local in the memo. Please mail it to Monadnock Food Co-op, c/o Jen Risley, 34 Cypress Street, Keene, NH, 03431. Thank you!
Congratulations to The Farm Café in Keene. They surpassed their crowdfunding campaign goal! They raised $3,593 to purchase new outdoor tables, chairs, and umbrellas to create a welcoming and safe outdoor dining patio area in front of their business.
TLC Monadnock is a community-based crowdfunding platform that empowers individuals to support the businesses, organizations, and initiatives that grow wealthier and healthier communities in our region. Crowdfunding, or the practice of raising funds to support a project from a large number of people, is a viable alternative to recruiting businesses from outside the region to boost economic activity. Our goal is to raise at least $100K for ten campaign teams in 2021. We’re thrilled to share that, as of today, we’ve supported eight campaign teams who have raised over $90K. We’re so close to reaching our goal with just two months to go! TLC Monadnock is currently hosted by Monadnock Food Co-op and supported by the Greater Keene and Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, New Hampshire Small Business Development Center, and Monadnock Economic Development Corporation. Have questions? Please contact me at jen@thelocalcrowd.com or 603-400-9157.
Harvey Edwards shared a local food and farm update with us. In turn, we wanted to share it with all of you! Josie Britton painted as mural on the barn of her family’s farm, The Britton Farm in Walpole. “We can always use a smile, especially when feeling stressed,” shared Harvey. “And this mural that Josie Britton created certainly makes one stop and smile. Even more so when one of the cows or bulls at their farm is also looking out the real window and admiring this work of art.” Josie's father, Larry Britton, recently finished renovating this barn -- built in the 1700s by his Great-Great-Grandfather. Josie worked with her sister, Emily, to add a colorful mural to the barn this August. We hope you’ll check out Josie’s mural the next time you travel down Watkins Hill Road. Thank you, Harvey, for sharing this story with us!
Why Shop Indie Local early this holiday season?
Supply and staffing shortages mean locally owned businesses face even more challenges this year.
Let’s ensure that independent businesses have strong end-of-the-year sales by supporting them now:
A huge thank you to the American Booksellers Association for creating the October is the New December campaign to boost the Shop Early, Shop Local message. Check out their campaign here.
“Bookstores Need Your Help. As booksellers are in the midst of the important fourth-quarter sales season, the American Booksellers Association encourages readers to shop local. Check with your local independent bookstore how you can shop with them — whether in-store, online, or both.”
Arts Alive! is offering mini-grants to artists and creative businesses in the Monadnock region. Applications are open from September 1 - October 31, 2021. Grants will be awarded to projects that further either the artist or creative business - expanding their professional abilities or increasing how many people artists or creative businesses can reach with creative arts experiences. The money will be given to artists, writers, performers, and creative business entrepreneurs. Grant awards will be distributed via a check. Awardees will need to fill out a W9 form to receive their payment. Arts Alive!’s mission is to support, grow, and connect a sustainable arts landscape in the Monadnock Region. “We want the Monadnock region to have a flourishing cultural community that values arts and culture and provides support to facilitate success.” The organization’s vision is that the greater community will take pride in the arts, which are seen as integral to a thriving society and economy.
Apply online!
OR
Download the Application
Mail your completed application to Arts Alive! 15 Eagle Court, Keene NH 03431.
This month, The Local Crowd Monadnock (TLC Monadnock), a community-based crowdfunding program, launched two local food-related campaigns. Perfect since August is NH Eats Local Month! One campaign for The Farm Café in Keene and the other for Food Connects in Brattleboro. Whether you give $5 or $500, it all comes together to strengthen our local food system.
With more of us looking to dine local and outdoors, The Farm Café in Keene wants to meet this community need. They recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to purchase new outdoor tables, chairs, and umbrellas to create a welcoming and safe outdoor dining patio area in front of their business.
“Here at The Farm Café, our mission is to support small farms, businesses, and a local economy in the most eco-friendly way that we can,” said Chef Skip, owner of The Farm Café. “We work hard to bring local, organic, real foods to you, our patrons, for your enjoyment.”
As I write this article, they have reached 40% of their $3,000 goal. Give at certain levels and claim a great reward (or two) while they last. Rewards include a Farm Café gift card, t-shirt, hoodie, the privilege of naming a new menu item, and a Chef’s VIP Night (a 3-course meal for two).
Give Today!
Food Connects is an entrepreneurial non-profit on a mission to create healthy families, thriving farms, and connected communities. They partner with local schools throughout southeastern Vermont to support their Farm to School initiatives, and they want to bring this work to the Monadnock Region! “We want to help Monadnock Region schools grow their Farm to School programming by collaborating with existing programs like the Cornucopia Project and Stonewall Farm,” said Laura Carbonneau, Food Connects Marketing Manager. “Our work will help ensure more kids have access to local food, integrate more Farm to School curriculum, and supply more school staff with the support they need. When schools embrace Farm to School programming, students spend more time outdoors—gardening, engaging in hands-on lessons, and exploring the natural world.” After just one week, they have reached 40% of their $8,000 goal. Rewards include Food Connects swag, a charcuterie platter, and a private kids’ cooking class.
Give today!
Watch for more crowdfunding campaigns launching this fall, including a campaign to support this year’s Plaid Friday and Cider Monday campaigns. Also, we plan to recruit more affordable housing, sustainable agriculture, and equity campaigns for a 2022 launch. Please stay tuned.
TLC Monadnock is a community-based crowdfunding platform that empowers individuals to support the businesses, organizations, and initiatives that grow wealthier and healthier communities in our region. Crowdfunding, or the practice of raising funds to support a project from a large number of people, is a viable alternative to recruiting businesses from outside the region to boost economic activity. Our goal is to raise at least $100K for ten campaign teams in 2021. We’re thrilled to share that, as of today, we’ve supported eight campaign teams who have raised over $80K. Our 2021 goal is in sight! TLC Monadnock is currently hosted by Monadnock Food Co-op and supported by the Greater Keene and Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, New Hampshire Small Business Development Center, and Monadnock Economic Development Corporation. Have questions? Please contact me at jen@thelocalcrowd.com or 603-400-9157.
The Local Crowd Monadnock - Keene, NH
