College Park Business Beat- The Business Beat is a bi-monthly newsletter prepared by the City of College Park Planning, Community and Economic Development Department covering local business news including openings, closings, expansions, leases signed, and other information of interest to College Park businesses.
For more information on buying local check out some of these resources
“101 Ways to Spend $100 Locally.” From the Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance.
Here is a brief PowerPoint put together by an intern in the Planning Department of the City of College Park in August of 2010. This document has some background information on Buy Local efforts both in College Park and elsewhere, drawing on five different case studies.
Buy Local Presentation- August 2010
Here is a PowerPoint about general Buy Local Benefits and Case Studies from Andrew Dane and Zach Polson at the University of Wisconsin Extension.
Buy Local Benefits and Case Studies- University of Wisconsin
Here is a document created by the City outlining some reasons for supporting locally-owned independent businesses here in College Park.
Here is a Diamondback article by Robert Riker on supporting local business. “Main Street: Not Chain Street” September 22, 2010.
Resources and studies about the economic impact of local independent businesses are available here http://www.amiba.net/resources/studies-recommended-reading/economic-impact-of-local-independent-business
Milchen, Jeff. “The Benefits of Doing Business Locally.” AMIBA, 2009.
The Benefits of Doing Business Locally
Two national organizations working on this issue are;
The American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) http://amiba.net/
The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) http://www.livingeconomies.org/