[Source: David Van Den Berg and Lisa Halverstadt, Arizona Republic] — This week has been declared Independents Week by a group of Arizona business owners, and they’re encouraging consumers to shop local. Local First Arizona was created in 2003 to encourage the support of local businesses, and has grown to more than 1,300 businesses, including restaurants, furniture stores, artists, coffee roasters, piano teachers, hobby shops, and flooring installers. “I would argue that part of connecting to a city and feeling like it’s your home is tapping into local businesses,” said Kimber Lanning, one of the founders of Local First Arizona. “I’m trying to create a database where people can go and hook onto local culture.”
She said shopping local also has economic and environmental benefits, from putting more money back into the local economy to saving gas. A complete Web directory of participants can be found at the Local First Arizona website.
Downtown Voices Coalition 