There, surrounded by the endless acres of asphalt parking lots, the never-ending strip malls (both newly built and newly abandoned) and a sea of cookie-cutter subdivisions, it began to dawn on me what makes Portland, and most of Maine, so special. While quirky individuality rules in Portland, conformity is the guiding principle in much of the Tar Heel state. For the year and a half I lived there, commuting meant inching through the gridlock on an eight-lane highway, shopping meant driving to a big box store and dining out meant eating at a chain restaurant in a gigantic mall constructed to imitate the thing it had destroyed: The village center.
Back in Portland, I got out of my car and walked, once again taking advantage of the lively arts scene, funky local shops and diverse selection of restaurants that follow no formula (other than the one in the chef’s head). But when the Portland Buy Local campaign became the talk of the town, I realized I had a lot to learn. For instance what about all those groceries I buy from chain stores (you may have heard of my Whole Foods addiction) and that oh-so-convenient Netflix subscription?
So with this week’s 4th of July festivities marking the one year anniversary of the Buy Local campaign, I sought out the local experts in hopes of getting some shopping education.
Making the case for local
Surrounded by the seductive aroma of roasting coffee, I sat down with Mary Allen Lindeman at the Washington Avenue Coffee By Design. Thirteen years ago, she and husband Alan Spear opened the first shop on a stretch of Congress Street ignored by real estate brokers and dominated by a porn theater. Today, with three popular coffee houses and a wholesale businesses, Coffee By Design is thriving.
But when Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts began to swarm into Portland’s downtown, Lindeman realized she needed to emphasize her company’s made in Maine qualities. She says at first other retailers didn’t see the need to promote their homegrown status. Then long-time independent retailers Drop Me a Line, Terra Firma and Resourceful Home all closed, and local retailers began to take notice.
Lindeman says the results of a study conducted by the Institute for Local Self Reliance helped show the retailers that there was more to what they were offering than just an eclectic shopping experience.
According to the study, 54% of the revenues generated at locally-owned businesses in Rockland, Camden and Belfast stay in the state. In comparison, the study estimated only 14% of the money spent at big box retailers stays in the state.
“Supporting local businesses should be part of a community’s economic development plan,” Lindeman says. “During the last recession, locally-owned businesses didn’t leave while a lot of out-of-state businesses did.”
Strange videos or same videos?
If you want to rent a video in Portland, you have plenty of options. Need nothing but the huge box office hits? Then head to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video.
But should you want videos grouped by such categories as Incredibly Strange Films or advice from movie-obsessed employees, Videoport is your place. In business since 1987 and employing 12 people (only three of whom own cars), the shop is a much-loved Portland landmark.
Even so, owner Bill Duggan says when the Hollywood Video opened up shop in Bayside his store felt a “tremendous impact.”
“In my industry we have a giant (Blockbuster) that lost $47 million in the last quarter. Why? Because they’re trying to put Netflix out of business,” Duggan says. “And the independents are caught in the middle ... The only position which supports a family (from a chain video store) is the district manager and there is a lot of turnover. Whereas in my company, you see the same people because we have benefits and we work to keep people.”
Duggan, who’s the president of the board leading the Buy Local effort, says he’s seen more customers coming back to his store since the campaign started. This jives with a survey of Portland retailers that revealed 60% of local shopkeepers said the campaign had a “positive impact” on their business during the winter holiday.
Shopping’s future in Portland
Stacy Mitchell is well acquainted with the benefits of locally-owned retailers. The Munjoy Hill resident is the author of “Big Box Swindle” and a senior researcher at the Institute for Local Self Reliance. Her eye-opening book details how corporate retailers use slick PR campaigns to convince local policy makers that new big box stores bring economic prosperity, while in reality they suck jobs and tax dollars out of the state and contribute to air and water pollution with their parking lot runoff and car-dependent buildings.
“The way these retailers work is they come into communities with lower prices and then slowly ratchet them up (as competitors go out of business),” Mitchell says. “The upstart is we’re really thinking short-term and hurting ourselves over the long-term.”
Lindeman says the biggest problem facing independent stores is the unequal treatment. A new corporate chain often gets showered in freebies and tax incentives, while a new locally-owned store gets nothing but high rents and red tape.
“All we’re asking for is a level playing field,” Lindeman says.
In her book, Mitchell details study after study which demonstrate how corporate retailers hurt local economies. (No, this isn’t a breezy beach read). Beyond the loss of middle class jobs and the higher costs for roads and emergency services caused by big box stores, Mitchell writes about a less tangible benefit of locally-owned shops: Community building.
She cites studies that show increased homeownership, lower infant mortality rates, greater support of schools and wider engagement in public affairs in towns with a higher percentage of independently-owned businesses. Call it the warm-fuzzy effect.
I’ve noticed it down at Whole Foods Market. One of the fun things about the old Whole Grocer (which Whole Foods bought out), was the huge bulletin board of random community postings and the haphazard assortment of newspapers, fliers and free publications stacked by the door. Sadly neither have a home at Whole Foods.
“Are we going to allow our economy to be taken over by big box stores?” Mitchell asks and notes that the new Wal-Mart distribution center in Lewiston (which landed $17 million in state and local subsidies) is sized to serve at least 50 more Maine Wal-Marts than exist today. “If we do nothing, we’re going to end up like Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina.”
Gulp. As you can imagine, this looming threat of homogenization makes me squirm. So, I’ve given up the Netflix subscription and gone back to renting at Videoport. But I’m still trying to figure out how to break free of the supermarket chains.