Trends In Support Of Locally Owned Businesses

"Boulder and Austin were cited as cities with successful shop-local campaigns. Austin is littered with bumper stickers, T-shirts and hats that read, 'Keep Austin weird,' to promote shopping locally. Boulder has the theme, 'Put your money where your house is.'Austin folks say these campaigns are a great success, but one Arizona State University expert said cheap and lazy consumers won't trade convenience and price for local loyalty. 'All over the country people are tiring of sameness and are longing to make their city unique,' said Steve Bercu, owner of BookPeople bookstore and one of the founders of the Austin Independent Business Alliance."