Shop Local: The 3 / 50 Project
What Are Your 3 Favorite Independent Businesses?

The 3/50 Project is an effort to harness consumer power in order to keep independent businesses viable by reminding us to support our favorite local businesses. The campaign's not about encouraging over-spending, but about promoting conscious spending. It really got us thinking about what businesses in our community we'd hate to see disappear. We'll tell you our three favorites, if you tell us yours.

Brooklyn Kitchen

Sprout Home

Moon-River-(15)-1.jpg
Moon River Chattel (you can see photos of for sale items on flickr)

What are the 3 stores you'd miss the most, if they went away? (Learn more about the 3/50 Project)

Comments (21)

The Kitchen, LOCAL, and EAT. I'm all about supporting local food. :)

My local Ace Hardware stores (Brownie's on Polk Street and the Ace on Pine Street Downtown)

G&R Paint Company (Between Van Ness and Polk)

Zinc Details (on Fillmore Street)

Broadway Panhandler
Sprout Home
Lancelotti

Maple Street Bookshop in New Orleans!!

ok I have to think of others, but that one's the best.

I could list eateries, grocery stores, plant nurseries, thrift stores, and flea markets. Apart from that, I guess I shop the chains -- their prices are low, their stock is high, they have better hours, and I don't actually "shop" much anyhow... just go for things I specifically need. Which Home Goods, Lowes, and Home Depot generally have. (Box stores employ people too, after all...)

This is a great idea, and I was going to post the flyer in my office, but then before you can download the flyer, you have to read a whole bunch of "DON'T GET CREATIVE WITH THIS FLYER OR WE SUE YOU!" warnings.

Way to build your grassroots, dudes.

(My three locals? Leaf & Bean, Jill Anderson in the E Village, and the Greenmarket.)

Charleston WV:

Taylor Books
Ellen's Ice Cream
Sitar of India

and, beyond those three, Capitol Market and all the independent growers who sell there, Bluegrass Kitchen and Tricky Fish, and the shoe repair shop on Fife Street!

I'm from Spokane, so few people on here have probably heard of these places ... :)

Auntie's Bookstore is the only major independent bookstore here that sells both new and old books. It's definitely the most popular indie bookstore here in town.

Boo Radley's is that weird kind of store that isn't really classifiable: stuff you don't need but absolutely have to have. Think obscure t-shirts (I have an Expo '74 one), weird books, and a clutter of pop culture references. I could easily spend all $50 here.

The third place, Main Market, hasn't yet opened, but I know I'll spend money there when given the chance. It's going to be a locally- and organically-grown produce market, making it downtown proper's only major grocery store. Gotta support local food.

portland:

noun (a person's place for things)

alma chocolates

stumptown coffee roasters

Charleston, WV...

The Bluegrass Kitchen
Taylor Books
Tricky Fish (restaurant)

San Francisco
North Beach neighborhood

City Lights Bookstore

Abitare - a lovely little shop for housewares, small gifts, and accessories

Jeffry's Pet Supplies - only neighborhood supplier of the obscure dog food I feed my dog

Brooklyn:
Pintchik Ace Hardware - Prospect Heights - They have it all for any job!

Red Berry - Prospect Heights - Limited edition indy clothing and jewelry. Classic tailoring with cutting edge vision

Sprout Home - Williamsburg - Already listed, but it IS gem of a store.

Houston (yes, we have local things too!)

- Southland Hardware, a real family-owned hardware store

- Brasil coffeeshop & cafe

- Brazos Bookstore (our only real indie bookstore, now a co-op)

Calgary, AB:

50/50 tie between Kawa and Deville, both coffeshops

Fairs Fair, second-hand bookstore

Community Natural Foods, grocery/household goods

Flint, MI (sorry, my picks are food places and it's more than 5):

-Bread Basket (Arab Grocer)
-Dale's Natural Foods (Grocer)
-The Torch (Rest & Bar)
-The Loft (Bar)
-The Lunch Studio
-Hoffmans Deco Deli
-Meijer (Grand rapids-based grocery chain, does that count?)

Whoops, forgot Gill-Roy's Hardware (worked there for 3 years!)

Seattle's Ballard neighborhood has been running a similar campaign since last winter. The owner of Sonic Boom, the local record store, put together "Shop Local/Think Local" posters (http://www.myballard.com/tag/shopping/), and even had them printed up in The Stranger, Seattle's alternative newspaper.

So, these posters are cute, but they're, like, so five months ago.

Chapel Hill, NC:

-SandwHich (http://www.sandwhich.biz)
-LocoPops
-TJ's beverage and tobacco

SandwHich is the first job i had in college, and where I learned that better ingredients make a huge difference, and how important it is to let ingredients really shine.
LocoPops is a local make-their-own popsicle store. That's right, just popsicles!
TJ's is a beer & cigarette store, but with 500 beers, plenty of hard to find tobacciana and nice guys that work there, it's one of my favorite places in town.

LA:

Willies Shoe Service
Best leather and shoe repair in town, they even make custom shoes that I hope I can afford one day!
801 N Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 463-5011

Milk
Even though I am lactose intolerant, I heart this place cause they also have yummy salads and tear your heart out chocolate chip cookies.
7290 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 939-6455

Skin Sense
The only place I've ever been waxed in LA (and the last). I love these ladies. This place is my Cheers.
8448 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 653-4701