The Canonical Nomad

Two Months at Sea

I get emails that ask questions of my whereabouts and dealings of recent. I even get emails asking if we're still hiring or carrying certain books. It always makes me smile. One email stood out last week...someone wrote "I wish you were still blogging".

But what would you want to know? What platform and approach does my writing now occupy in the world at large? It's a busy place with no shortage of opinions and musings...That said, my blog was never a literary blog so the pressure to highlight books isn't there. In it's truest form, this blog has always been the passionate ramblings of a (now) 30-something. Albeit, organized and properly punctuated. So, if not for my own purgative purposes...I want to capture the journey now after two months of sailing (Ironically, it took the pilgrims about that amount of time to reach the new world).

It would be foolish to think that I have spent these months after leaving the dock staring out at the horizon with a Pina Colada in hand...I am working hard to cross the equivalent of the Atlantic in mid-winter wind gusts while manning the rigging alone. It would seem that closing a business is more than taking down shelves and locking the door behind you. Everyday I deal with mountains of paperwork, friendly letters form the State of Michigan, hordes of messages and mail from vendors that still require payment...Checks going out. No money coming in. It is indeed, one of the most difficult clean-ups I have encountered and I am more aware of Newton's law that states "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". It will be many years before the reactions for all of Nomad's action cease...and that makes me tired to think about.

BUT there have been moments when the wind dies down and I stand at the bow during sunset, allowing the sea to lull me back and forth. I'm soothed by the vision of home and made energized by the new territory ahead. It is all unknown. Even a bit scary and depressing at times. But I'm okay with that. I would turn back...not for anything. When people ask if I miss it, I have to restrain the certainty of my answer. Not for one day have I missed the amount of tenseness I was functioning under and hair pulling and sleepless nights. Not one morning have I longed to make the drive in and put in a full day again. I am more certain everyday that we made the right decision to pack and go.

So, there it is. I'm mid-Atlantic. Fighting everyday to cut the dang anchor and untangle the sails...but the view is awesome and the call of home so precious. Abraham Cowley (exiled English poet) wrote, "Curiosity does, no less than devotion, pilgrims make." And I am, above all, still very curious.

Looking Forward...

This song came on the radio this morning at work at 11:01 exactly. It was one minute, literally, after I sent the goodbye email to the masses. Kinda said it all. More than I can right now given the outpouring of support and notes from customers already today...

Walking out in the freezing rain
I feel nothing 'cause I numbed the pain
I'm lookin' forward to lookin' back
On this day

Prayed last night
Dear God please no
But I was never good at letting go
I'm lookin' forward to lookin' back
On this day

Good news can be so unkind
When it's everything you have to
leave behind
I'm lookin' forward to lookin' back
On this day

In the taillights
So much hindsight
Telling me what I already know
I know

What Time?

What will you do with all of your time? That's the question that's surfaced. But there is no answer.

The decision to sell the book store (for more, Click Here) has come after trying to cram 336 hours into a normal week. I knew four years ago that working full time, owning a business while being a mom/wife would be no Sunday stroll...no short-sightedness there. But Nomad grew in 3 years to be something I dared dream it would be in 10 years. Huge. A staple in Jackson's fabric of growth and culture. I am so proud of all that we and our staff have built but there came some obvious signs this spring that my pace would kill something I held dear should I keep running. I can press through with a sprained ankle and sore leg but without my heart, the race is done.

I didn't trust (though I was told) that children, 1st grade-5th grade, would require more time and energy than ever...with more of the same to come. From basketball and football to baseball and piano to homework and quite talks and sibling rivalry and tough questions, the kids have changed immensely since I began working. Frankly, I was unprepared for what would be required of me beyond preschool, potty training and car seats. I began to see them growing up with a mom rushing to be late to another game, absent another homework full evening and distracted at home or during a late dinner. Then there's a marriage to tend to. Marilyn Monroe once said, "A career is a wonderful thing but you can't snuggle up to it on a cold night." Nomad has been honored to host Marriage Matters in our building every month for over two years...how true. Marriage should win every time. Over money, over business, over vision and individuality; it wins. I choose my heart. 

So, sometimes the questions are more important than the answers. What will you do with all of your time? Well, we're not there yet. I have no answers except what my experience has brought. Being at home is a full time job. And what I do with my time matters...more than ever.

Please feel free to write me with questions, anytime. 

Join or Die

John Adams via Paul Giamatti has enhanced my life. Well, at least he’s emboldened my spirit and my often forward, brash vocalization of current events. I guess I should first credit author and historian David McCullough for being the catalyst in all of this. Without his writing, there would have been no series on HBO.

I don’t have HBO but purchased the DVD series of John Adams for my husband for Father’s Day this year and have watched it carefully, with intent to capture a lot more than a glimpse at the 1700s. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a history enthusiast but I am thinking that it should be a required viewing (or reading) for all Americans, all students in the very least. Now some 200 years removed, we are sadly disconnected from what it took to make this country from scratch. We can scarcely imagine a war in our own backyards, being under threat of emanate death for treason. Our handle on historically facts are a bit lacking as well as we often know not the costs involved in making the structure of freedoms that we enjoy. Like spoiled little rich kids who have not really paid attention to their cushy allowances, we complain about very silly things- in comparison.

Let me say that I believe nothing in life is coincidence. I have been one of five working into the wee hours over the past several months to see this little Buy Local campaign be launched, with great anticipation for what it will do in Jackson (with great interest for our country’s move in this direction). It is, as Brad Flory mentioned today, much more than about receipts. As I am watching John Adams and the debating that surrounded his time, it reminds me that this movement began as and remains a very political course to me.

The fight that small businesses and individuals have in a nation that has allowed Big Corporations to take billions in tax incentives and be given land in our communities [on the false pretense that they create more wealth for area] is preposterous. While there are many layers to this issue, the retail end of this is very telling. Stacy Mitchell (Big Box Swindle) points out that “Every year, cities across the country provide hundreds of millions of dollars in development subsidies to retailers like Wal-Mart and Target to help them build new stores.” Nomad would be laughed at for asking for or expecting such things. Where is the free market?

Someone whispered capitalism this week in an attempt to explain our current business/retail landscapes. This isn’t capitalism. Government favor and monopoly creation (Walmart's revenue alone constitutes close to 2.5% of the GNP) is inherently opposed to anything our fore fathers wished for this country. We are no longer operating in a free market. We can’t truly believe that big boxes who move to town with huge breaks from our city, county or state governments are coming to compete with existing businesses. They come, specifically and pointedly, where they can leverage profit for shareholders and quite systematically squash any competition. Free or low cost  land and 5-10 year tax deals only begin their destructive path of denigrating the society and economy where they choose. When one big box alone can openly take over 2 billion in tax breaks (and harbor much, much more) in one year…and then move in with jobs that hold employees below the poverty line in need of state assistance and free school lunches, we cannot praise this as advancement. And yet, we do.

How many people know that certain large stores create subsidiaries that pay rent to a real-estate investment trust, which is owned by another of that company’s subsidiaries? The trust hands the rent to the second subsidiary in the form of a dividend, which cannot be taxed. This way, they are using a tax loophole involving "real-estate investment trusts" to call "rent" it pays to itself a tax-deductible business expense.

Under other such loopholes, local outlets of large national chain stores pay royalties to sister companies in other states claiming the payments as business expenses then deduct them from state income taxes. Michigan is one of the states that, by structure, look the other way. Our local and state governments need to wake up and stop courting such a opportunistic type of commerce that reduces our need for skilled employees and future entrepreneurs while taxing our citizens to death.

And we’re okay with this based on paying a dollar less for underwear so that it “fits” into our household budget? We should rather ask who then pays for that loss in tax revenue that they pocket. Property owners, schools by way of cuts, downtowns, our infrastructure, YOU, ME, our kids- eventually.

We’ve been swindled by creative marketing that claims a lower price. But that price on the shelf, when it is lower, is only short term. At no time are we told the whole truth; that is that corporations are exporting our jobs, our values, our skills, our sense of pride, and the very fabric of our communities while having us foot the bill. We’re paying dearly for their low prices, it’s just not reflected on your receipt.

We have blindly become a nation that largely believes that growth for the sake of growth is good. The past two decades have proven this. We believe, when we're honest, that the next corporation to look at Jackson for an outlet further solidifies our place and culture. I say that is a distortion and that when we wish for bigger, more distant companies to locate here to make us attractive, we give up any chance of being an interesting, sustainable place. We wipe away our identity in trade for a homogenized, average one that makes us no more viable in years to come. I believe that John Adams would not have stood for it. And I believe that by buying local I stand in opposition to the outright rape and pillaging of what is fundamentally American.

*President Abraham Lincoln (1864): "As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless."

The Tale of Two Bike Runs

The following is a true story:

On a brilliant spring day not so long ago, the first character in our story, hereafter known as Bella Buywright, ventured out with her children to enjoy a bike ride along the newly completed Falling Waters Trail in Jackson County, Michigan. The outing was filled with the celebrated sounds of newly hatched birds and the visual delight of sprouting greenery among the Poplar and Ash trees. The ride, however, quickly became cumbersome as several years of winter-neglect on the tires and the true age of their bikes required more leg work than they had anticipated. The children began to complain that the bikes were too small—and they were. Sore from the expedition herself, having ridden a mountain bike that she’d had from a garage sale in 1991, Bella vowed this would be the year that she invested in new bikes for all of them.

As fate would have it, in the same small village Dudley Dolight and his children took on spring in the very same manner. And again, though delighted with the abundance of fresh air and enchanting sunshine along the trail, it was apparent that they also needed to make some new bike purchases.

Bella and Dudley are distinctive American consumers. With families to support in a middle class setting, each knows the value of a dollar in 2008 and each is feeling the pinch of economic instability. However, the two would make very divergent decisions on where to purchase the family bikes- with two very different impacts on their ultimate wealth and well being.

Dudley made the trip into a well-known discount retailer; known as The Dall Mart. After circling the lot twice, he found a parking spot in the third row about 18 spaces from the front door. Upon entering the store, he passed an employee that smiled and commented about the weather. He knew the general vicinity of sporting goods, so he headed swiftly in that direction, anxious to see the new spring inventory of bikes. He soon found himself looking through a discount bin of Easter candy and picked up several bags to take home. Next, beyond the toiletry aisle, Dudley spotted a display of sunscreen and beach towels and thought that perhaps he ought to stock up for the Memorial Day camping trip (especially given these prices). By this time, he was scanning the aisles for an abandoned cart. Near the potting soil and pet food, he emptied his arms of his load. He also picked up some fertilizer, a pack of dog bones for Spot and then pushed on to find the bikes. 15 minutes into his excursion, he spotted a row of sizes perfect for his kids and one about right for him. But he couldn’t get all of the desired bikes down from their display and began to look about for a store employee to assist. It was three rows down in the music and video section that Dudley asked for help. An additional 4 minutes would pass before someone in the sporting goods department came to see him.

Bella, on a day trip into town with her children in tow, decided to give a local bike shop a look (and we will call them Paddle and Tire). Once inside the front door, after much instruction to her children to behave, she was met with a smile from the owner of the store who also served on the PTA with her husband. Bella made her reason for the trip known as they glanced over the shiny bikes just beyond them. The kids took to the store’s resident pets- two friendly, adorable dogs- allowing Bella time to inquire and look about.

After his wait, Dudley checked each of the bikes over, squeezing tires and checking the price tags but was not able to test-ride them inside the store. The employee talked about the sale they had going on and that the bikes would come in boxes, unless he wanted the store to handle the assembly (for a small fee). When asked if the bikes were the right size for his 10 and 5 year old, the salesman bent down to look at the brochure attached to the floor model and said, “It says here 75-115 pounds.” That sounded about right so Dudley picked his bikes, opted for in-store assembly and spent 45 minutes browsing and eating at Hamburger Palace under the Dall Mart roof. An hour later, he checked out. We will not elaborate on the mix-up at the counter on where the assembled bikes had gone or on how long it took to get all of them into the bed of his pickup after an interesting journey in the parking lot. But alas, the bikes were headed home.

The owner of Paddle and Tire brought a polite young man and introduced him to Bella. This young man asked several pointed questions about bike riding habits of the family and planned usage for the bikes. Based on her answers, Bella’s children were given several options to try out. They rode, delighted in circles on the stores vast, historical wooden floors with the dogs watching. Next it was Bella’s turn and she rode four different models, selected and adjusted for her exact inseam and arm reach, around the city block outside to test them while the kids stayed safe and entertained inside the store. She made her selections. The bikes were checked over while she and the children visited a local bookstore around the block to spend 20 minutes delighting in their atmosphere and smoothies. Upon their return to the bike shop, the new purchases were brought directly to her SUV and helped in by the nice young man who had asked all the questions. With a thanks and a handshake, the family was on their way.

Now, we will not include details about receipts as it is enough to say that Bella spent more in monetary expenditures on her bikes (though given a courtesy discount by the store owner) and Dudley’s receipt reflected additional purchases that were not intended. Though in a downtown setting, Bella parked right outside the front door of the store, saving the parking lot hassle. She was helped instantly and checked out immediately, cutting 28 minutes off of her in-store transit time. The bikes were already assembled and subsequently adjusted to her family’s exact measurements, saving time and hassle at home with a wrench.  Bella’s bikes were backed by a lifetime warranty that came with the bikes and when after a year one of the boy’s pedals will come loose from wear and tear, the bike shop will only take 10 minutes to fix it in their building- no charge. As for Dudley’s bike, when the seat became loose after a couple of weeks and its stitching frayed, he inquired at Dall Mart about what could be done. He was helped by a new sales associate in the sporting goods department that needed a manager to let Dudley know that The Swifty Petal model that he had purchased had been recalled and he would need to bring the bike back for a replacement. He was warned, however, that the replacement may take up to six weeks to receive. He never went back.

Bella and Dudley’s families pass one another from time to time on the trail and wave-- when Dudley isn’t on the side, adjusting his seat.

*It is also keen to note that the money spent at Paddle and Tire on bikes helped to fund the several community and family events planned for the summer, as it has for years. That store also purchases their signage, print materials, insurance, design work, accounting, and other services through Jackson County sources and business people. As mentioned, the owner of Paddle and Tire sits on the local PTA and is invested personally in school events, fundraising, and votes for local decisions on other boards that he serves. He has restored a historical building (with local contractors) that is a source of pride in downtown landscape. Dall Mart has not and is not able to do any of the above for the community.

*Based on actual events. Names have been changed to protect those involved.  

A Piece of Pie for Mom

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Anonymous

I got a message from my mom today. I get a message from her every couple of days. Most of the time, I don't call back. Not right away, anyway. Not out of disregard but out of the feeling that she understands more than anyone on this planet why I couldn't call back just then. There have been many seasons, indeed entire years, when I did not understand nor admonish mom. In those seasons, I made decisions that would carry me far from her and far from myself. Indeed, we are family and in every family there are humans- that is to say imperfection. Hurt. Regret. Dysfunction. But in those pains, a chance for understanding the total inventory of one's life. Indeed, I have been blessed with more chances for understanding my own inventory than I have had the fortitude for-- Yet, anyway.

I may have mentioned that I was raised by a single mom. She didn't really care for pie either, at least most of the time. It has not been until recent events in my own life that I have come to glimpse the amount of times that she actually made pie to serve to 4 oblivious kids while she sat with a watering mouth. She was far from perfect but for all of her faults, I can say this: I always knew that I had a lion in my corner that sat ready to pounce on anything that threatened my life. My potential. My happiness. A best friend, a spouse nor child can never replicate that level of instinctual love--never.

I've been reading The Rest of Her Life this month. What it has done is put me back in perspective of the continuum of mother-daughter-mother of a daughter...the reality of those overlapping, complicated relationships. I was in a car accident when I was in my teens that resulted in tragedy [which is also, coincidentally, the outline for this book]. I've been reflecting, retrospectively, on what my mother must have gone through during that time. For anyone that rallies claims that fiction is pure fantasy or lacks opportunity for application in our lives...well, they don't read fiction. This book has taken me to a place that I had neither expected nor found anywhere else in recent years. I respect my mom more tonight for having read fiction. I want to live more fully with my daughter tonight for having read fiction. I'll never really know what it meant for my mom to watch the pain that I both caused and was going through, while I spent the energy I had pushing her away. I've looked at my daughter this week and thought about the years I hope to be blessed with ahead. As she sleeps tonight, I imagine all the times that my mom wanted nothing more than to shelter me from pain-- and the ache for the times that she could not. And still can not.

This week, mom, I want you to know that you are the one person on this planet that I know has always been and will always be on my side [when I do call back]. Even when you weren't. Even when I didn't want you to be. Even when I don't think you are. I've taken you for granted but I know you understand--even when you don't. If I could, I bake a whole pie and deliver it to you on Sunday. I-- at the very least-- owe you that. 

White Pine Houses

My evening brought a foray into the world of my favorite blogs, having just finished three books in quick succession...I had to catch up on my "sick preoccupation" (see earlier blog). I started at one I love to revisit and glean from occasionally. It linked me to another point on another page. And then another. And another. I was seven observations deep before I came up for air. The news has done an interesting thing these days- for those watching and listening. Such massive, intriguing entanglements; such discourse coming from some...the thing that is amazing is that wisdom and truth are questioned at every turn. Wisdom seems to jump out from one perspective and then has the potential to be completely countered and stifled just as quickly as it came. Kinda makes me ambivalent. The tendency to nourish uneasiness is too tempting for us. The option seems to be to pour gasoline upon the raging bonfire of current events. The inclination to be trite and pithy or clever and evasive seems to be all that we have in the face of often menacing reports. Gas prices, election, Borders, war, religion, spirituality, economy. I have to keep reminding myself that I have permission not to live in fear.

Sometimes I want to sleep in...Sometimes I wish I had my nose in the clouds or fingernails in the soil, oblivious to the currents at the base of this river we're in. Yeah, I guess I make that choice everyday by limited the news that streams in. I catch myself wondering when it all got so complicated that I'd rather turn off the light and go to sleep than read more or talk about it. Is it my age that is making me resentful of the complication all around? My station in life? Stress levels? I could swear that I was just sweeping and designing White Pine rooms in the forest floor behind my elementary school like last week. Good was good. Bad was bad. You were in. You were out. Laughter came quick. Tears just as easy. Pain was surprising. Joy was common. When you disagreed you might hit your best friend and then hug them later that day, tingling with satisfaction in knowing and being known by them. And the whole world held promise, even when it was dark. Especially when it was dark.

We don't have to fear. I'll see you at recess.

New Borders?

Before I ever thought about working at a bookstore in Jackson, our book-selling neighbors in Ann Arbor have loaned us inspiration, great titles and wonderment for years. Inevitably, I get "shelf envy" when I get a chance to wander over there.

Karl Pohrt from The Shaman Drum is writing these days on his new blog ("There is no gap")...grab the RSS feed and stay tuned. His most recent post details a visit to the new Borders concept store from the eyes of a successful independent store owner. He gives me hope and admittedly, a sly grin.

What do you mean by "LOCAL"?

So, we've had unbelievable amount of hits on the last blog in two days and I'm getting a lot of great questions in my in-box. Here is a recent email that I wrote in response that sums SOME of buying local up:

"Thanks for taking the time to reply and for your further investing in the discussion about what is meant by "Buy Local". There is a lot of buzz in Jackson right now- to be sure. It is an exciting time for small business as we are ushering in a resurgence of focusing money and effort in the communities we actually live in. I know that you and I have spoken briefly before about franchising and small business and I have several dear friends who own franchises in town so there are many considerations for all of us in this [or any] economy.

I am not the decision maker for local business in Jackson so my opinions are simply that but I have been privileged to attend and participate in many conferences, discussions with heads of successful Buy Locals from all over the nation, as well as attend many independent industry and Michigan business functions in recent years. At all of these, lead economic minds have presented on Buy Local issues with increasing fervor and all the while I've been reading (imagine that!) and researching "buying local" on my own. Shoot, we have a wall of books dedicated to the topic, all written in the past 5-10 years.

While each community is different in their approach, the leading Buy Local organizations have very clear guidelines by which they suggest membership be considered- with very good reasoning behind each guideline. Please visit a couple websites for more on this:

http://www.amiba.net

http://www.livingeconomies.org/

One of the basic premises of any Buy Local campaign is to give strength and education to businesses who do not have the marketing, networking, buying, or training resources that chains and franchises do. It is also for indies who find that other established organizations (The Chamber, DDAs, City Council, zoning committees, etc.) are not addressing the needs specific to the uniqueness of creating and running an independent business in what has been a very unfriendly climate for us in recent decades.   

When we opened Nomad in 2005, my husband and I opened with no assistance from anyone else (except the sweat and love of friends). There was no model, no training, no logo, no previous branding or representation for what we were creating specifically for Jackson to call their own. There was no corporate structure for us to tap into at all nor was there a buying structure or vendors lined up for us to work with. Our efforts have been completely independent of any overseeing company or advisers. We have faced a very different and difficult set of challenges than franchises or chains do. However, in our struggles, we proudly lay claim to a freedom from corporate stipulations on our operations (ex: Beaners is now Bigbby) and from sending our money outside of Jackson to any other entity- something that one of my franchise-owing friend loathes.

The biggest issue I see is that we eventually get to the question: What about Wendy's? What if McDonald's or Subway or Schlotzsky's Deli or Jimmy John's or Domino's wants to be included in the Buy Local? What if Gap or The Limited or Starbucks put a storefront in downtown, aren't they then considered local? You see, it then defeats the purpose of organizing any structure for the businesses without the corporate model, branding, marketing, name recognition and so on. It is indeed a difficult line to draw but necessary at the start. The Chamber and DDA are organizations that oversee ALL business, not just the locally grown ones. Buy Local generally encourages people to commit a percentage of their spending to the little guy who struggles each month to find a way to create their business unique to the town they are in. This isn't just retail. It's services, contractors, local farmers, not for profits, education, art/culture, etc. "Buy Local" ensures that our town doesn't look like the next town over or the next town down the 94 or 127 corridor but stands out as a unique place to be and come to...None of the talk of buy local should be discouraging to you- it is an effort to further make Jackson unique, stronger, exciting and appealing to its citizens and visitors."

Confessions of the Reformed

Five years ago, I was a stay at home mom with three small kids. I shopped for groceries one day a week at a major retailer and planned meals a week in advance- based on their sales. I bought in bulk. I was a brand-name coupon clipper, an ad browser, a sale hound purchasing my kids clothing from big label clearance racks with a coupon in my hand. If they wouldn't give me the two discounts together, I probably wasn't going to buy it. I believed that if I paid full price for everyday products or household goods, I was getting ripped off. And books. Well, I love bookstores but couldn't imagine why they weren't matching Amazon's prices- I was certain someone was getting rich. Once the free shipping started, Amazon was my go-to unless I was already in an indie book store and they had a frequent buyer program I could sign up for.

I was raised by a single mom and I watched her pull off miracles to make sure we never went without. That thrifty shopper and shrewd consumer was born early in my childhood and I'll be the first to say that is hard to pay full price still...but I realized that I was complaining about "nothing in Jackson" and simultaneously guilty of not supporting anything but national companies that offered no uniqueness here. This began my slow reformation.

While my husband was appreciative of my resourcefulness, he would often say with a smile, "Well, you usually get what you pay for...". I was incensed that he would pay full retail for his work boots at Genco's or Miller's in downtown when he would spend his days walking in wet, muddy conditions completely trashing them. Week after week those boots would stand up and work harder than three cheaper or "on sale" pairs from "big" stores and I came to see that he was saving us time and money.

A couple other events happened in the past five years that made me sit up and realize that where I spend my money really matters. 1) A group of great friends began to move out of town for more "cultured" areas in the country. One had the audacity to name his band "Kicking Jackson" after his exit (and still plays under that name). I was a bit offended that someone's opinion of Jackson was that low. 2) I met a local farmer who changed my view on where food is grown and what being sustainable really means. 3) Nomad opened in downtown and gave me an understanding of what a tax base is from the other side of the counter- Not to mention a new understanding of "low prices".

Below you will find just a couple of considerations...More in-depth resources will be listed below for you, if you're a skeptic like me. BTW, my husband still buys his boots downtown and continues to get what he pays for. I'm a believer.

Top Ten reasons to Think & Buy Local First-

1. Buy Local -- Support yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms -- continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.(Click here to see summaries of a variety of economic impact studies; these include case studies showing that locally-owned businesses generate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the community and our tax base.)
2. Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.
3. Keep our community unique. Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.  “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust
4. Reduce environmental impact: Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
5. Create more good jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community, provide the most jobs to residents.
6. Get better service: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers. 
7. Invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.
8. Put your taxes to good use: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.
9. Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.  A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
10. Encourage local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

Resources:

http://www.civiceconomics.com/SF/

http://www.andersonvillestudy.com/

http://www.newrules.org/retail/midcoaststudy.pdf

http://www.bookweb.org/files/open/pdf/lamar.pdf

http://www.livingeconomies.org

http://www.amiba.net

http://www.newrules.org/retail/bigboxstudies.pdf