‘Indie Week’ Buy Local campaign starting Wednesday

PROVIDENCE – A new “buy local” campaign, dubbed “Indie Week,” runs Wednesday through July 7, providing special discounts from participating businesses.
Conceived a few years ago by the American Independent Alliance, “Independents Week” is modeled on the “Small Business Saturday” campaign that follows Black Friday each November.
The Rhode Island Foundation has coordinated a campaign for the first time in Rhode Island through its Buy Local RI Initiative.
“Shopping at neighborhood stores and restaurants can pay big dividends,” Jessica David, the foundation’s vice president of strategy and community investments, said. “These are purchases that we already make, so no additional spending is necessary. The benefits multiply as the money moves through our economy.”
Shifting just 10 percent of the spending that Rhode Island shoppers do from chains to independent, locally-owned businesses has the potential to add $373 million to the state’s economy, according to research commissioned by the Rhode Island Foundation last year.
The idea is to bolster local business growth, which leads firms to expand and add to the workforce, David added.
Clustered primarily in Providence, the participating businesses range from boutiques and florists to bakeries and jewelers. Discounts range from 25 percent off everything except clearance items at Downcity Outfitters on Washington Street, for example, to 50 percent off a loaf of freshly baked specialty bread at Seven Stars Bakery on Hope Street on the East Side.
Only locally-owned, Rhode Island businesses that list their companies on the Buy Local RI website are eligible to participate in the “Indie Week” campaign. There is no cost to register and businesses can create their own discounts.
Besides supporting Independents Week and Small Business Saturday, Buy Local RI gives consumers and businesses year-round access to a database they can use to search for products and services offered by locally-owned companies.
The complete list of participating businesses and discounts is posted at buylocalri.org.

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