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Home My WebLink About03-11-10 IV. b. Consider Participation in the 3-50 ProjectTIE I~I~ +~~.ate ~is~i+ct '~ 321 Stt~ C~~i~vi ~uldin 7~5 Rev. fir: Martin L~it~ter , Jr: ~l~d: Sl, Fain, ~I~151~~-1Gf~6 Fh~n~: ~~~~~ 297-899 email: ~n.kate.seb+ensenate. areh ~ 1 ~hn Hinzn~~n it ~f ~Iast~ns ~e~on~tie ~~vela~rr~~nt ~utherit 1 ~ 1 nth Meet fast #~~ ~ ~'~, ~: T, s,, ~ ~ ~ K ~, , rril~. ,~ .,~ - , Senate oaf ~~ ~eal• ~~hn, ~Q~~~~ ~a~~~a c~~rz~~~~fi~ ~~.~tx~ hive recently reed n ~r~iele ~ the ~~nne~palis star °Tribune, enelt~se~., ~b~ut the 15Q Project, ~n ec~nen~c clevel~pn~ent tac~l that the c~nc~m~c evel~rner~t .uth~ority c~ul~ use t~ encc~ure shepPers t~ huy lc~c~l and h~a~st shall bu~lncs~ in cur ~~~.l~un~~y, The I~ Project ~~ started t~~a ~ax.t~er, local retail consultant. . ~~.xter ~develoe~ ,~ ~r~tarr~ to enca~ura~e shcPPers ~~ s~en~ ~ each m~c~nth an~~n three laical businesses, cc~rd~n~ tea tud.ies s~ Baxter quotes ~~ help ~vebs~te, fir even 1 ~~ spent in in~.ep~endcntly ~ne~ stares, G~lnes back t~ tl~e cr~mun~ty tl~rouh taxes, ~r~ll and ether exen~litures. conversely, the ~~ a~rlount sent at ~ natlcnal chain contributes only X43 to the local econol~.y. There is re~.~ly-rna.de ~I~~ l'ro~ect rnarl~et~n ca~~lpaln that local l~uslnesses can partieip~ate in at no hare. Tl~e vvel~site, ~v~~f~~ tie ~}~~~~~t sect ~~ct, has flyers that c~.n be d~nloaded and d~stz~buted. businesses can becal~ne ~~~`~.~~' of tl~e Facel~aal~ site and also post. the 1~~ information on their oven ~vebsites or l~'~.ceb~o~l~ aes~ hundreds innesota'busineses already ~art~cipate. l'~umerous halr~ber oranlzatlons In e~tles across ~innesot~. as well ~~ local Econ+~mic ~eveloment authorities have signed on well.. If the Econo~~lic >~evela~~lent authority ~~ interested in using these resources, ~ . happy to h.el~ promote the fro jest through press rcleascs and other tnarketirl venues, If you have farther questions, please feel free tc~ contact me at: ~ -~~~-~~~, Sincerely, ~~ Katie Siel~erl State Senator _ :g 3~~~~a~a - Taking focal viral S'tarTribune.com i t~uv~u~ Botts ~ s~. ~.~uL, mzrrr~~5ar~ Taking local viral B J~~I~ ~~,~3'Y, star Tribune February ~ 4, ~g1 g ~ ost people want to sidle up to ~prah. Linda Baxter took heron. "~prah, you've gotitwrang," Baxter lashed out in a blog entry that would launch a thousand. e~mails and a newbusiness venture ~ . The flash point far Baxter, ~ Twin ~ifiies retail consultant and peaker,~~cam~ during the . depths ~f the conorr~ic crisis last ~lrc,h~ That's when the talk show diva teamed up with personal finance guru u ~rrnan to. urge viewers to stop all unne~esary-spending. „That's the quickest way to bankrupt an entire nation's economy," ~Ba~x~er said recently, ,her voice still brir~rning with astonishment. ~ ~ ~ ~ -,. - ~ Baxter's bldg entry suggested a~n alternative. dick threw locally awnedstores you don't want to sae go ai~ay. spend ~~ a month ar~an them. Deep local businesses humming. And with :that, the .3I5D ~roaect vu~nt viral~~ .. ~ . Author blo r~ acid marketin a ert Vieth Rodin sturr~bied across Ba~`. ~~~ l ~ . gg g xt s b og and endorsed the I~~ Project., ~fUard~~s~read quickly on Tviritter, Busir~es~~-and individuals ~ ~. .. across the .country~becan~e, ~a~ebook fans by the hundreds, . - ~ . ~ ~ - ~. -Flooded with requests far-more-infarma.tion, Baxter threw up a websit~,~and whipped ~ - together a ready-made marketing can~pai~n that small businesses could dovunload far - free. Shy encouraged buin~ses to~ featu;re the 3158 Project logo, on :th~r websites and to get fliers~into the hands.of~~~tamers~ v~ho might riot realise the power-of~.the purse. Baxter's fliers quote studies by civic Econarnics, an economic analysis consulting firm, that found that far every egg spent in independently awned stares, 8 comes back to the . - community through taxes, payroil and other expenditures: National chains contribute about By Baxter's calculations,. if every working person in the United states spent g a month at independent chaps, it would generate mare than ~~.~ billion in sales. ~ - - "[t was a,na-brainer far u~s," said Doug Huemaeller, owner of Kitchen windowin ~Ilinneapolis. The stare displayed the ~I~g material prominently in windows and checkout counters at its previous location in Calhoun square. Acampaign relaunch is planned for the new space in the Uptown mall next month. "In a small business, we wear a,0~a hats,,' he said. "This is weliWdesigned, easy to execufe, and has a distinctive message. It made us feel like sor~ebady out there is supporting us." ~tarCribuncacom~,.,~~rin~ Thies ~~~ry?sid... ~f 3 3~3J~D~0 Taking I~cal viral - Despite the worst econamic downturn in six decades, Baxter rode the wave of a~growing "buy Ioca[" rr~aveme~nt. At least ~~0 cities natianwide have formed local business alliances W ~~ a number that has tripled in the past three years, according to a recent taunt by the institute for focal elf"~eGance, "There's ~ lot o~ qualitative evidence to suggest that independent businesses with buy loca[~movements have fared better through the recession than thane without it,"said Stacy { t Mitchell, a senior researcher with the argani~a~ion, . Uvhile sales at the nation's retailers were up about 1~5 percent over the halidays, according to t}~e I.J.B. commerce Department, independentretailers worn up ~. percent, - a~eardir~g to the institute. ~ ~ ~ - - uppor~ing neigh~~orhood ~ ~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -= ~. A survey published in ~0~9 by~ Ens for the itiea ~four~d that hor~es~ Iodated within walking ditane aka neighbarhoad business have held their~valu~ through the ho~ising callape better than:these without retail nodes. _ ~ ,~ ~ - [t'~ ~ecomirig o hip to b~ .local, Mitchell Hated In ,a recent speech, fihat tarbucks has ., opened a store called "~ 5th Avenue toffee and Tea" ~in Seattle. [f you didn't knave better, you'd think it was a momWai~d~pop shop, not pert of a, nearly ~ ~,~~~~-store chain, ~ ~~ In ~h~ Tin~.~itie~ a nur~ber~o-f..reu ~ s.su ~ ~~ort inde enden~ businesses -includin tie Twin t. ~i~ies Metra :Ind.-epe~nden.t~Buines Allianoe~.ar~d its Buyfoca[In~carr~ sits, and fhe raid , . ;. ~. .., .. Ave~~ue~ Business Asociatior~,~~~ n~~r .raup~, .tf~~e.9th ~~treet=~xperience, launched last weed- ~~, to~.up.port do~mtown-Minneapo4li,s ~estauran~s and~retailers an gth ~freet. ~- ~'he ~I~ Pro~ect.h~ hit.~~ f~i~ speed b~u~r~p~s. Baxter and her lawyers have pounced an ~ . merchants whp -have~_altered~ the laga or ,firied- to p~~~ their au~n shin an the ~ampaign~ And sore ~criti~ ~rorry that it's n~othjng mars th~ri~ a feel-good oampaign for chambers of cor~r~erce and that mare subs#ntial changehappen when local businesses work with city. and state leaders. - ~~ . treating a movement , ~ ~ ~ ~ - ~ - i .. , Baxter, 49, who awned a stationery and gift store in inne.apolis far ~ 4 years: makos no apologies for protecting, her tra~emarl~ed ~rn~terial. the said merchants r~~tionide are ~i~iding ~ne~rways to market the~~15o Project. A group of shopkeepers in Plymouth,llllich., had Baxter create yard signs. A library asked her to create bookmarks that got stuck in every book at checkout. In hippack, Pa., businesses paaled 1 ~ each to print ~~,0~0 postcards. ~n Des Haines, a group of businesses tookout a foil-page ad in the Sunday paper, Agroup in Toronto i working with high school students to hand cut window signs to Iooal r~erchants. Electric Fetus co-owner Stephanie avart Meyerring saw the 31~~ Project-as strong complement to the music and gift store's own buy-local program, f111inr~Ecanamy, which it s~aribun~.~omJ...~Prirr~ Thi~,~~ory?sid." ~l~ ~~3J~0~~ Taking i~cai virai launched last year to support local rr~usicians and artists. Project 10 fliers are placed by the front door, along with handouts from Metro Independent Business Alliance and h~linnBccnon~y Faking a difference "People think they can't make a difference," said. ovart I~IleyerrEng. "But when they see how simple it is, and that it's really doable, that"s a powerful statement. Uvith the economy, people don't have a lot of cash to spend. But we're finding thatvuhe~ they do spend it, they want to spend where it helps the community." Nearly a year after hastily crafting the ~prah~comeback bldg post, Baxter said the I~ Project boasts support from mare than ~ ~,~0~ businesses, charnbers of commerce, business associations and individuals in every state in the country Last week, the website topped 1 million page views and 79,a0 unique visitors... - Baxter's current challenge i to mare it profitable, speaking fees and~consultantwork have - kepther mortgage paid, but promoting the to Project is mare than afull-tirr~e job, she said. ~y midyear; Baxter intends to launch two more tiers of paid membership that will allow merchants to~co-brand with ~~~0 ar to get mare targeted marketing support. Irony be darned, Baxter also is o~ the hunt~for a national corporate sponsor, such s a media outlet or cable company. "we've gat to monetize this thing to keep it going," she said. With seemingly boundless energy and a new calling, Baxter said she has na doubt sherll find awayto keep momentum building for~~5~~ "vlfhen times are difficult, that's when~we see the mast ingenuity and creativity," she said. "hocola~te chip cookies were invented during the great Depression.,' Jackie rasby • ~ ~~7»7~ ~ ~~~ a starTribune. IVI rights reserve. ~artribun~~c~r~J.,~JPrin~ Thi~~.~ary?~id~„ ~