Love Your Locals in Larchmont, New York

As part of the American Booksellers Association's summer series of IndieBound information sessions, ABA COO Oren Teicher recently participated in a gathering of independent businesses organized by Larchmont, New York's The Voracious Reader.

The one-year-old children's bookstore hosted 10 representatives from other local businesses, including two art galleries, two jewelry stores, a dog accessories store, and a music store. With many of IndieBound's marketing materials in hand (including IndieBound buttons -- "You can't have a movement without buttons!," said store owner Francine Lucidon), the group discussed how to make the most of the Shop Local movement in their community.

Lucidon said the IndieBound conversation "felt like a front porch gathering" and that the support materials were invaluable. "Owning and running an independent business is a joyful burden," she explained, and having ready-made posters, handouts, as well as downloadable logos available via IndieBound helps lighten that burden. "It's like suddenly growing extra arms and a head," Lucidon said.

Response from the other business owners was equally positive. "People seemed to really like the idea of customizable material, especially the Here's What You Just Did flier," she added. "While other group initiatives had formed over the years, everyone seemed impressed that this was so well organized and comprehensive, having ideas and materials already in place deals with the trepidation of 'Oh no, not more work for me!'"

Lucidon explained that one of the founding missions of The Voracious Reader is to create a community hub for families. "The Main Street in town, the local merchants whose lives are intertwined with their own, provide a kind of anchor of experience and expertise. So the IndieBound program resonates with our core values and provides us with additional resources to get this message out."

Lucidon has created a resource of her own: she has set up a "Love Your Locals" listserv so various business owners and staff can communicate more easily. The Voracious Reader also hopes to have a fall Love Your Locals event for the entire community. "We're fortunate to be in a town that does love its locals and want to celebrate that with them," she noted. "Plus a few reminders to love us more consistently won't hurt either."

Look for more on IndieBound info sessions taking place around the country in next week's edition. --Karen Schechner