When Ben sent out a call for contributors, I immediately responded.   I hope to bring a slightly different perspective to this blog, and let me make it clear that these positions will not be neutral.

I am the founding director of Somerville Local First, a nonprofit network of Local Independents (locally owned and independent businesses) in the Somerville, MA.  Day to day, I work with small business owners, fellow nonprofit organizations, local politicians and government agencies, local and regional media and small business service providers. This gives me a window into most corners of the small business world, and I hope to be able to share some of those insights with you.

There are a lot of reasons to support Local Independents, and you’ll be hearing them from me with regularity, but the one I want to start with is the importance of Place.  A couple of months ago, I came across this quote:

“When every place looks the same, there is no such thing as place anymore.”

Ironically, this article from Atlantic Monthly is titled “In Praise of Chain Stores”.  Clearly, I vigorously disagree with the author’s premise, but am happy to steal her verbiage to make my point

Place IS important.  The character of our City Squares (pun intended), Main Streets and Central Business Districts does make us unique.  In Somerville, we have institutions like Johnny D’s and Redbones that people immediately identify with Somerville.  The author of the Atlantic Monthly article argues that its weather and terrain that create a sense of place.  Hmm…

I don’t know…I hear “I love Redbones” or “I saw XYZ @ Johnny D’s” much more than “Somerville has a lot of hills”…which it does by the way.  Somerville boasts, in my humble opinion, one of the coolest, most creative communities in America and the Local Independents have a lot to do with that.

In closing, I encourage you to compare and contrast your communtiy with those around you.   Whether you live in a place surrounded by independent businesses or one that has more corporate offerings, think about what makes your community unique.  And, as I often say in my Somerville Local First blog, Keep it Local, Keep it Fresh.

Joe Grafton is the Founding Director of Somerville Local First and an active participant in the Local Movement. He lives and works in the hotbed of intellectual, cultural and creative activity that is Somerville, Massachusetts. Email this author | See all posts by Joe Grafton

Tags | character, local first, somerville, uniqueness