The Go Local Go Different initiative launched in early November, just in time for holiday shopping and festivities.

You can follow what they are doing over on Instagram!
5/5

This included a cohesive brand and all the tools and resources for implementation like fully designed templates, campaign messaging, and strategies for implementing the campaign with business partners.
4/5

helped neighborhood and business district association leaders with a more cohesive plan for promotion and placemaking activities to attract visitors to their areas,
and we created a dynamic and engaging Go Local Go Different campaign design.
3/5

In partnership with long time collaborators Rinse Design we provided strategies on more robust procurement policies and implementation for the City’s internal departments, helped create a coalition of local business leaders to provide their important input into the initiative,
2/5

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.

✨ Make ‘em smell good. Farmers and craft markets often feature locals making some pretty amazing body products. Look for locally made candles, too.

✨ Hardware isn’t hard. Some of my local hardware stores (True Value & Ace are both locally owned cooperative buying stores that contribute to the local economy) have some pretty nice gifts for everyone – for the home-repair folks who love gadgets, for the gardeners, for the home DIYers.

✨ Bakeries, pastries, cookies, oh my. How about buying local baked goods from your favorite bakers for holiday parties, gifts, and more? Combine them with other local foods and make a fun basket of local foods.

✨ Repairs are sexy. Check if your local dry cleaner or repair shop has gift certificates. Find out if your friend has a broken appliance or bike or something that has been stored in the “to be repaired” pile in the garage and sneak a way to get it fixed for them.

✨Local eats and treats. Does your local farmers market have gift cards? Help your friends and family experience local, delicious, healthy food and meet a farmer in person. Wrap the gift certificate in a canvas shopping bag from your farmers to encourage their shopping excursion.

✨Get boozy. It’s a pretty good bet that your city has a brewery or distillery where you can buy 6 packs or samples of their new products. Try pairing a local beer or spirits with some local recipes, too. See #1 for local cookbook ideas. They often have fun t-shirts or glassware, too.

✨Read local. Buying from local authors boosts their bottom line and their street cred; buying from a local publisher who publishes local authors increases your localist street cred. Buying a local author published by a local company sold in a locally owned bookstore? Gold stars!

👏 👏 👏

Think: donating items for auctions, discounts, donating a portion of profits from dine-around events, serving on boards of nonprofit organizations, and volunteer hours for community events.

prosperapartners.org/small-biz-st...

Together, we're inspiring our communities to take positive action and boost the ripple effects our neighborhoods, towns, and cities receive when we spend more of our dollars at locally owned, independent businesses.

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

Willard Williams co-founder of the Toadstool Bookshops in Keene and Peterborough, NH dreamed up this event as an antidote to Cyber Monday. It’s a perfect way to celebrate Shop Indie Local Season.