Summit County Citizens Voice

Planning meeting for 2010 Summit Unchained campaign is tonight (Oct. 19) in Frisco

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Local, independent businesses are starting to gear up for this year’s edition of the Summit Unchained campaign, emphasizing that keeping dollars in the community is more important than ever during economically challenging times.

Facilitated by the Summit Independent Business Alliance (SIBA), business owners will brainstorm and network about the 2010 campaign at the annual Summit Unchained planning meeting tonight (Oct. 19), 6:30 p.m. at the Frisco West Professional Building, 101 West Main Street. The planning for Summit Unchained also coincides with SIBA’s membership drive, with an open invitation to all locally owned independent businesses to get involved with the economic sustainability of their community. Get more information here.

Last year’s Summit Unchained “buy local” campaign challenged Summit residents and visitors to shift at least 10 percent of their spending to local, independent businesses. By tracking purchases with punch cards, SIBA estimated that the campaign generated about $48,000 in local spending, a big jump from the previous year.

“Particularly with the tough economy, people are seeing the benefit of keeping dollars in their own backyard, and their shopping habits are reflecting that understanding,” SIBA director Katie Roberts said after last year’s campaign.

Help support Frisco Main Street businesses and other local merchants during this year's Summit Unchained campaign.

The punch card helps motivate people to buy locally and also tracks the amount spent by each participant. The campaign encouraged people to turn in their cards regardless of whether they were partially or fully completed to help SIBA get a better idea of the dollars spent and participation levels. Cards turned in were thrown into a drawing, which was hosted today on Krystal 93, one of SIBA’s founding members and a sponsor of the campaign.

“Hundreds of cards were turned in to us, and it was a massive but very rewarding feat to calculate all the money spent at participating SIBA businesses throughout the holidays,” Roberts said.

The “go local” movement is also experiencing success on a national level. More holiday shoppers deliberately sought out locally owned businesses this past year, according to a national survey of more than 1,800 independent businesses.

The survey was conducted in early January of 2010 by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit research organization, in partnership with several other national business organizations. Survey results indicated that holiday sales for independent retailers were up an average of 2.2 percent. That contrasts with the U.S. Department of Commerce figures released Jan. 14, 2010, which showed that overall retail sales were down 0.3 percent in December and up 1.8 percent in November.

The survey also found that independent retailers in cities with active “Buy Independent / Buy Local” or “Local First” campaigns reported stronger holiday sales than those in cities without such campaigns. These campaigns have been launched in more than 100 communities, including Summit County. Independent retailers in these cities reported an average increase in holiday sales of 3.0 percent, compared to 1.0 percent for those in cities without an active Buy Local initiative.

“This survey adds to the growing body of evidence that people are increasingly bypassing big business in favor of local entrepreneurs,” said Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Amid the worst downturn in more than 60 years, independent businesses are managing to succeed by emphasizing their community roots and local ownership.”

Filed under: economy, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | Summit County business, Summit County Colorado, Summit County economy, Summit County News, Summit Independent Business Alliance, Summit Unchained