Keep Louisville Weird - Buy Local First

Big Box Swindle

In less than two decades, large retail chains have become the most powerful corporations in America. In this deft and revealing book, Stacy Mitchell illustrates how mega-retailers are fueling many of our most pressing problems, from the shrinking middle class to rising pollution and diminished civic engagement—and she shows how a growing number of communities and independent businesses are effectively fighting back. [Learn more]

Big Box Swindle is available at Carmichael's Bookstores.

“WHY BUY LOCAL? Event a Success!

Thank you to all who attended LIBA’s WHY BUY LOCAL event!

Over 100 people enjoyed a presentation by Stacy Mitchell, author of Big Box Swindle, and dynamic panel discussion with John Timmons (LIBA, EarX-tacy Records), Congressman John Yarmuth (KY’s 3rd congressional district), and DeVone Holt (Director of West End Development for GLI), at LIBA’s WHY BUY LOCAL? event on January 27th, 2008.

Mitchell’s presentation, based upon her extensive research through the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, illustrated in both qualitative and quantitative terms the incredible contributions made by locally-owned businesses in their communities. Conversely, Mitchell outlined the risks for communities who “swing too far to one side” of development, with greater numbers of large corporations and fewer independent stores, explaining precisely how the growth of the former has proven to cause the dramatic decline of the latter. Mitchell provided national examples of the impact that Independent Business Associations like LIBA have had in other communities, including rebuilding their local economies, creating sustainable prosperity, and increasing civic engagement.

See Courier-Journal article: “Buy Local Wins Backers” (Monday January 28th, 2008) for more on the WHY BUY LOCAL? Event.