Black Friday
Does shopping local and patronizing independent businesses make you a better citizen or us all more independent? We think so. As you may have read in last week’s gift guide, the Journal has signed on to the Association of Alternative Weeklies’ “Shop Local and Indie” campaign. It’s easy: Just spend at least $100 of your holiday money at locally owned stores. Do it on Black Friday or whenever. Don’t have a hundred bucks? “A ha’penny will do.”
Without doing the math again (Journal publisher Judy Hodgson laid out the figures last week), we’ll promise you, it will help the local economy. Think of it as a gift for your entire community. Okay, ready? Get out there and shop.
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent on the cover
May 17
Ring of Fire
Sun and moon will perform a rare pas de deux in Humboldt skies on Sunday
May 10
District Soup
Racing for the top county seat in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts
May 3
A Place in the Woods
As park closure deadline nears, a scramble to save what we can
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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SIX Comments
Comment / By hal g / Nov. 28, 2008, 8:29 p.m.
More of a question than a comment really: Obviously shopping at places fulling owned locally is good locally, but what about franchises? Is it good for the local economy if we shop at Ace Hardware, Do-It-Better, Subway, McDonald’s or Porter Street?
Comment / By Scott Menzies / Nov. 29, 2008, 11:26 a.m.
Your question raises a point that is often the source of confusion for folks wishing to support their local economies as much as possible: What is ‘local’? Local is, really, too vague. What’s important is to shop ‘independent,’ and that does not include franchises like Subway or McDonald’s, whose headquarters are not local and whom are unable to make virtually any independent decisions. If Porter Street has less than six outlets and is headquartered locally, it might qualify as independent for us (at HumIBA). We’d have to look more closely (there’s always gray area). As for Ace Hardwares, they’re buying cooperatives, not franchises, so they qualify as independent. They have a lot of independence in terms of how they run their business (Pierson’s sells Ace, as well as other brands, for example). Do-It-Best I’m guessing would be similar to Ace, but I don’t know for sure. Feel free to write me at scott ‘at’ humiba.org if you have any more questions.
Comment / By menza man / Nov. 29, 2008, 7:48 p.m.
Although a generally good article, keep in mind that at least a third of the businesses in Bayshore Mall are local ones, in particular the “kiosk” businesses. Also, ALL of the employees at the Mall are local citizens. So it’s simply not true that “ALL” of your money goes out of the County when you shop at Bayshore.
Comment / By Rad / Nov. 30, 2008, 12:11 p.m.
Why isn’t the HumIBA run by the small businesses which constitute it, as the local Chambers of Commerce are?
Is the Journal ever going to ask some real quesitons about David Cobb and Democracy Unlimited’s money-grubbing schemes which are anything but democratic?
Comment / By Pathways Trading Co. / Dec. 2, 2008, 10:50 a.m.
You can find an eclectic mix of affordable and fair trade gifts at the Bayshore Malls new store “Schatzi’s Hidden Treasures”. From local crafts to socially responsible village imports here you can support a variety of independent local businesses.
Comment / By eed / Dec. 16, 2008, 10:46 a.m.
I have been in the county since before the BS Mall. When they first opened they tried to be the community center. At Christmas time there were carolors and temperary Christmastime booths. There was even a place to get presents gift wrapped! Now days it is pretty quiet in there.