Alliance Aimed at Keeping Local Business Alive, Well

Liz Slape and Lisa Sharp were tired of seeing local businesses disappear in the shadow of big-box chain stores.

They decided that if independently run businesses were going to survive, particularly in the current economic climate, they were going to need some help.

They formed the Fayetteville Independent Business Alliance in October to raise awareness about the importance of shopping locally.

Slape, who operated her family’s business, Penguin Ed’s Barbecue, for 10 years, said the idea started with a love for Fayetteville.

“We love its uniqueness and its character and we want to make sure it stays that way,” she said.

Slape came up with the slogan “Keep Fayetteville Funky” about three years ago in an effort to encourage support for local businesses.

“This is the professional extension of that,” she said.

Sharp, who owns Nightbird Books in Fayetteville, said she’s been looking for an organization like FIBA since she opened the store in 2006.

“I felt like we needed something like this in Fayetteville,” she said. “I just didn’t have the time to do it.”

In February, she started a local economies book club to get people thinking about the impact of shopping locally on the city’s economy.

When she met Slape in September, they combined their efforts and the initiative took off.

Slape said the main purpose of FIBA is to raise awareness about the cultural and economic benefits of shopping locally.

“There are alarming national trends as far as the displacement of independently run businesses and the effect on the community,” she said.

She points to a study done in Austin, Texas, that infers that three times as much money stays in the community if consumers shop at local stores rather than national chains.

It’s the multiplier effect, she said. Local business owners tend to use local resources, such as accountants, electricians and plumbers, so the money stays in the area.

Since becoming an official affiliate of the American Independent Business Alliance, Slape and Sharp have recruited 30 businesses to the organization.

Their goal is to have a diverse membership of retailers, manufacturers, service providers, local farmers and citizen supporters.

They’re also working on developing a logo and a directory of local businesses.

Eventually, the two would like to be able to offer co-operative advertising, and co-operative buying, such as paper coffee cups for all of the local coffee shops and shopping bags that bear the FIBA logo.

They also plan on developing a window sticker for members of FIBA so consumers can identify them as independently owned businesses.

“We’re hoping that eventually that will become important to people,” Sharp said. “They’ll want to go to businesses that are members of FIBA.”

But their main focus is on changing the consumer’s perception, that local businesses are pricier than the larger chain stores.

Sharp said large chains often introduce low prices as a way to attract customers and then increase their prices over time.

“We want people to think about more than just the bottom line price because there’s so much more that goes into it,” Slape said. “Each time they spend a dollar at a local store it’s like casting a vote and saying ‘we want you to stay here.'”

“We’re not proposing a radical change to anyone’s lifestyle,” Slape added. “But if each household could pledge $100 of their holiday spending to a local business, the collective impact on the local economy could be huge.”