Local First Arizona: 1,380 Members and Growing

Independent business owner Kimber Lanning knew Phoenix was in need of a local business alliance, so she stepped up and created one. "That's just my personality," she said. "I'm always the person who stands up and says, 'Yes, I'll do that.'" Local First Arizona (LFA), a statewide organization, now has 1,380 members. It has also launched a statewide NPR campaign, created a map of shopping and eating destinations in Central Phoenix, and been given the use of office space by the mayor of Phoenix. "We've been growing by leaps and bounds," said Lanning.

LFA was founded by Lanning in 2003 and was then called Arizona Chain Reaction. In 2007, the organization expanded, applied for 501c3 nonprofit status, and changed its name. It's now adding members at a rate of about 25 a month. LFA's goal is "to strengthen communities and local economies through supporting, maintaining, and celebrating locally owned businesses throughout the state of Arizona." Of course, LFA works closely with, and its board is primarily comprised of, independent business owners, including Cindy Dach of Tempe's Changing Hands Bookstore.

Lanning, who owns a record store and art gallery, said Phoenix has a lot of one-of-a-kind businesses and cultural offerings, but because of the layout of the city, they are sometimes difficult to find. "It's such a new region," Lanning explained. "Everyone that's here is from somewhere else. In Chicago or Philadelphia, the independent businesses are better known because people have been there for generations." So Lanning considered Phoenix ripe for a strong local business alliance that could create resources to help Arizonians discover the location and value of their independent businesses.

To help that discovery process along, LFA created a local business directory and a "Small Wonders Map," a new pocket-sized guide to unique shopping and restaurants in Central Phoenix. More than 70 Local First members are included on the downloadable color brochure. A map for Scottsdale is in the works.

To drive home the value of independents, LFA commissioned a Civic Economics study, (similar to the Civic Economics' Andersonville Study), which revealed that public procurement from a local supplier generates "dramatically greater local economic activity" than procurement from a chain business. Previous Civic Economics studies examining the economic impact of locally owned independent versus chain stores have found similar results. The LFA study, "Procurement Matters: The Economic Impact of Local Suppliers," compared the local economic impact of Wist Office Products, a local supplier and LFA member, with Office Max Contract, a division of Office Max, after the state of Arizona dropped Wist from its stable of office suppliers.

For National Independents Week in July, LFA launched an NPR campaign in partnership with radio station KJZZ. "We put together an amazing, affordable package," said Lanning. "And for every two ad purchases [by member businesses], Local First Arizona got a PSA. We got a total of 800 mentions during the week." The PSAs mentioned the LFA website, which featured coupons for participating businesses, and the result was about 8,000 web views.

After launching these and other programs, including a Green and Eco-Friendly initiative, LFA garnered the appreciation of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. "He lets us use some office space and the conference room," said Lanning.

Lanning very much recommends launching an independent business alliance to anyone considering it. "I would start by getting in touch with IndieBound, especially since they've already got printed materials and resources," she said. "It's a great place to start." -Karen Schechner