THE RURBAN FRINGE

Forget Whiz Bang, Focus on Small Bang

In public meetings across the country, many folks are desperately trying to come up with the next “whiz bang” idea to help small communities maintain their local economies. 
It’s tough out there … and it’s bound to get tougher before it gets better.
But wouldn’t it be great if people weren’t encouraged to go down the path of searching for a [...]

Buy Local Campaigns Make a Difference

A US survey of independent businesses found that those in communities with an active ‘buy local’ campaign experienced significantly stronger revenue growth in 2010 compared to those located in areas without one.
From the accompanying press release:
“The survey, which was conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance over an 8-day period in January, gathered data from [...]

After ‘Black Friday’ Comes ‘Small Business Saturday’

American Thanksgiving has traditionally been the kick-off to the holiday shopping season.  And with many retailers offering blockbuster deals on what has come to be known as Black Friday, a new, localized movement has also sprung up, encouraging folks to support their local stores on Small Business Saturday.
The Small Business Saturday campaign is designed to [...]

Small Canadian Community ‘Sardine Capital of the World’

Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick – a small fishing village of only 950 people along the Bay of Fundy shoreline - is home to the world’s largest sardine industry. 
Fishing has been a vital part of this community’s existence for over 200 years.  In 1885, Connors Brothers Ltd.- one of Canada’s oldest food producers – founded a sardine cannery in Blacks Harbour.  Soon [...]

It’s Not the Economy, Stupid

Even though James Carville’s well-known phrase states otherwise … economies are built on people. 
When people aren’t engaged, aren’t able to utilize their skill sets, aren’t even working in many instances these days, economic activities grind to a halt.  Time, energy, knowledge and experience can all be found at the core of any market activities … and [...]

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