Amid COVID-19, Local Governments Are Coming Through for Local Businesses

Local and state governments have stepped in to fill the gap for businesses when the federal response was either too slow, too small, or not tailored to the right needs.

Economic Development, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 27, 2020small business, local business, ILSR, Chaotic but Smart

Your Town's Business Community Can Lead the Way to "Winning the Peace"

Values-driven businesses have a key leadership role as communities move into the “next normal.” Here are eight things businesses and local communities can do to help get towns and cities back on their feet.

Studer, Economic DevelopmentQuint StuderJuly 31, 2020business, local business, coronavirus, Quint Studer

Everybody Loves Local Businesses Now. How Do We Make the Enthusiasm Last?

The coronavirus economy is revealing to us that countless people love and want to support small, local businesses—we just have an economy where we’ve stacked the deck in favor of large chains.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 22, 2020small business, local business, localism, coronavirus

Why Communities Matter Now More Than Ever

Nationally, we’re incredibly polarized. But zoom in on the local level—where life happens—and you’ll see we have more bright spots than dark clouds.

Community, Top Story, StuderQuint StuderFebruary 28, 2020community, politics, local business

Building Strong Towns, One Storefront at a Time

Top Story, Architecture, Economic Development, Public SpaceJaime IzurietaFebruary 5, 2020local economy, local business, small business

Three Things I’ve Learned in My Local Coffee Shop

Coffee shops have a lot to teach us about our neighborhoods and the people we share them with. Here are three of them.

Local Food, Neighborhoods, Top StorySteve MacDouellJanuary 22, 2020Third Places, coffee shops, local business, small business, Canada, Ontario

50 Independent Bookstores in 50 Days

Local bookstores are a surprising bright spot in an era that’s been tough for other retail. The key to their resurgence: they’ve turned themselves into a symbol of community and quirk worth celebrating. And they inspired one author to sing their praises in a slightly unusual way…

Economic Development, Top StoryJohn PattisonJanuary 10, 2020local economy, books, bookstores, local business

Best of 2019: How a Local Bookstore Can Make Your Town Richer—In More Than One Way

Can a humble corner bookstore make your city wealthier and more resilient? These small businesses have surprising staying power—and in many ways are an indicator species of a strong neighborhood.

More than Music: How Local Music Scenes Make our Cities Stronger

Joanna Jurgens, Head of Business Affairs at Sofar Sounds, shares how you can foster a local music scene in your community, including how to awaken that DIY spirit that’s so essential to kickstarting a local music scene, how to identify low risk strategies for creating a venue, and how to get local elected officials involved in the process.

How Local Businesses can Become (Economically Resilient) Gathering Places

Strong Towns’s own Kea Wilson discusses what her time as a bookseller at Left Bank Books in St. Louis taught her about making local businesses a third place, including what building a third place actually looks like, how third places are more economically resilient, and how you can make your local business a third place.

How Can I Pitch the Idea of Allowing Some Commerce in Residential Areas?

How do I pitch the idea of rezoning residential neighborhoods to allow limited commerce to my city council?

Knowledge Base, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 1, 2019local business, mixed use

How a Local Bookstore Can Make Your Town Richer—In More Than One Way

Can a humble corner bookstore make your city wealthier and more resilient? These small businesses have surprising staying power—and in many ways are an indicator species of a strong neighborhood.

Best of 2018: What’s Up with All Those Empty Commercial Storefronts in New Mixed-Use Developments?

Why all these new storefronts are sitting vacant.

Small Scale Developers, Quednau, Top Story, Best of BlogRachel QuednauDecember 14, 2018local business, small business, Best of 2018

There's a Missing Middle for Commercial Spaces, Too

Is a desire for local character your jam? If so, fight for missing-middle commercial space in your neighborhood. Fight for the corner bar and the corner store. We need an approach that is much more flexible, more true to what humans want from cities, and messier.

Small Scale DevelopersKevin KlinkenbergNovember 6, 2018local business, incremental development