Our guide has 39 pages of great ideas for gifts that you can buy in local, independent businesses in Bloomington.  Click here to find the stores distributing the guide. 

Click on the guide image to the left or the link here to read more about it or read the guide online.  

  As customers, we are about to collectively spend a large portion of our annual shopping budget between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. If you join us in shifting those dollars to locally owned, independent businesses, we'll all generate 2-3 times as much economic activity in our community than if we had spent our money at a national chain. Across North America, that could mean billions of dollars of economic impact. Click here for more.

 Plaid Friday is a sane and colorful alternative to Black Friday, an idea that was popularized by chaotic early morning visits to big box businesses on the day after Thanksgiving.  Employees of local businesses will be wearing plaid on Friday, as will many community members who would like to show their solidarity. Read more here.

  Simon Property Group, the nation's largest mall operator, is suing the Indiana Department of Revenue to try and force it to collect taxes from Amazon.com Inc. for all sales made in the state.  Simon Property Group is not seeking monetary damages, but rather is suing on behalf of itself and all other brick and mortar businesses in Indiana who are competing for customers with Amazon. Read more here.

  The Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington is a relatively new program in our community.  We recently launched a new set of courses for those wanting to start a small business.  One of the essential elements of our program is bringing in some local businessmen and women to talk about particular subjects that marry with our curriculum.  These include topics including franchising, buying a small existing business, starting an on-line business, customer service and sales strategies as well as many others.  We felt it was important to bring in local businesspeople because it provides a local connection, something that our students can relate to in our community, and allows us to teach fundamental concepts that are relevant and understandable. Read more here.

We will be taking a short break from our Mixers while we gear up for the Holiday Season and the new year.  During this time, we'll be planning our Mixers for next year, so stay tuned and we'll release the new schedule! 

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