By Deb Brown When I was Chamber of Commerce Director in Webster City, Iowa, one of our big events was Junquefest, a three day event where vendors come to town and sell all kinds of junque. We wanted to close the streets and let the vendors park their trailers by their booths. That was […]
A Homegrown Shop Local campaign
Luling, Texas, has a terrific Chamber of Commerce Shop Local campaign, using “Homegrown” as the theme. They are profiling local businesses in the news paper, organizing cash mobs, and more. They even posted a big sign pointing highway travelers to the downtown business district. How are you cultivating your local economy? If it includes a […]
Building a local business alliance
BALLE is the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. It’s all about local businesses working together to make their local economy prosper, with a focus on locally-owned businesses, sustainability, green jobs, and thinking local first. There is a national organization, and local networks have formed in many cities, towns and regions. I’m reporting today from […]
Is my small town the only one that is this messed up?
Yes, I do get asked “Is my small town the only one that is this messed up?” The answer is no, you are not alone. We all wonder about it. We all think we must have the most messed up small town anywhere. We deal with some part of the continuum of bad behavior: pettiness backstabbing […]
