Local First Alliance

Studies

The latest reports and studies on independent retail
Summary of economic impact studies: This also includes the first Andersonville study.
Vermont's Homegrown Economy: A 2003 report on Vermont's homegrown economy detailed the importance of Vermont's local businesses and community engagement with their preservation to revitalizing downtowns, curbing urban sprawl, and guiding sustainable planning at the community level. (Source: Preservation Trust of Vermont)
Independent Retailers Outperform Chains Over Holidays, National Survey Finds: A 2009 survey by Stacy Mitchell finds that independent retailers, especially those in communities with “Buy Local” campaigns, showed stronger numbers throughout the holidays than did national chains.(Source: The Institute for Local Self Reliance)
Economic & Fiscal Impacts of Food Cooperatives in Northwestern New England (36 kb): Commissioned by the Coop Food Stores, this study estimated the impact of local food cooperatives committed to buying and selling locally produced goods and services. on the regional economy.
The Impacts of Institutions on the Local Economy - UVM (402 kb): A presentation by Professor Richard Schramm on the economic impacts of institutional localization.
Chicago's Andersonville Study(613 kb): The original local first economic impact study, comparing economic impact of 10 Andersonville local businesses to their chain store competitors.