If I Eat at a Chain Restaurant, Does That Make Me a Bad Local Advocate?

What do you do when living your ideals feels impossible?

Local Food, Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedApril 18, 2023local food, localism, advocacy, local business, restaurants

Death by Parking

For nearly half a year, this small business owner has been ready to open his coffee shop…but the city is refusing to let him do so, all because of antiquated parking mandates.

End Parking Mandates, Top Story, Community StoriesAsia MieleszkoMarch 29, 2023End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, Parking, small business, local business, parking minimums

Philadelphia Embraced Outdoor Dining. Until It Didn’t.

Philadelphia is a great place to visit, but not because it’s a great place to park. City officials don’t seem to see it that way, though, given the recent restrictions placed on its outdoor dining program.

End Parking Mandates, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoFebruary 8, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, parklet, restaurants, local business, small business, Parking, parking, local regulation

Road-Widening Project Threatens 30-Year-Old Farmers Market

Residents of Mooresville, NC, are outraged as a road-widening project and ensuing regulatory dispute pushed by city officials threaten the future of a longstanding farmers market.

End Highway Expansion, Local Government, Sheppard, News, Top StorySeairra SheppardJanuary 23, 2023End Highway Expansion, farmer's market, local business, local politics, local government, North Carolina, DOT, freeway widening

The Christmas Present Test

You can learn a lot about a place by how easily you can do some great Christmas shopping.

Economic Development, Member Post, Top StoryMichael NatelliDecember 14, 2022local economy, localism, local business, shopping malls, member story

Finding the Pulse of My Hometown

Our Neighborhood Storyteller visits her hometown to both mourn and celebrate the changes that have happened there over the years.

Theilen, Top StoryKarla TheilenDecember 4, 2022Brainerd MN, Small Towns, small towns, local business, Minnesota, restaurants

Toronto’s Curbside Patios Made 49 Times More Money Than the Parking They Replaced

A recent study on curbside dining in Toronto found that there are loads of financial possibilities waiting in empty parking spaces.

#BlackFridayParking, Parking, Sheppard, Top Story, End Parking Mandates, NewsSeairra SheppardNovember 22, 2022Parking, parking, parking minimums, End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, #BlackFridayParking, canada, Canada, Toronto, local finance, finance, local business

Mere's Magic Universe and Tea

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller connects with a new community and its residents through exploring downtown and some local businesses.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Top StoryKarla TheilenNovember 13, 2022neighborhood storyteller, downtown, local business, community, localism, montana

Maximum Impact and a Low Price Tag: Putting Paint and Planters to Work in Edmond, OK

Over the course of a Sunday afternoon, this Strong Towns member created a simple and achievable plan to transform a local street—all on a small budget!

Battle of the Business Titans

A small, local, mixed-use business versus a new Amazon warehouse. Let’s put these two business proposals before the Shark Tank (Winnipeg edition).

Where Are All Our Front Yard Businesses?

Front yard businesses were once a natural stage in the evolution of a community. So where have they all gone, and how do we bring them back?

Pattison, Zoning, Neighborhoods, Top StoryJohn PattisonAugust 16, 2022business, small business, local business, Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, zoning

Inside Eden Center: What a Strip Mall Can Be

We’ve explored the outside of Fairfax County’s Eden Center before, but what does the inside of this surprisingly fine-grained strip mall look like?

#ChaoticButSmart, Public Space, Top StoryAddison Del MastroJune 27, 2022fine-grained, urbanism, strip malls, Virginia, immigrants, community, Community, shared space, business, small business, local business, Chaotic but Smart, Addison Del Mastro

This “Homegrown Project” Offers a Place To Thrive for Small Business Owners

These pop-up shops in Berwyn, IL, are a great example of how communities can provide low-cost, low-risk spaces for local business owners to get their foot in the door.