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How might we restore vibrancy in cities and regions facing economic decline? Read the challenge brief

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Facebook, Local Economy, Marketing, commerce, holidays, local business, small business, social good

Inspiration
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Mission #1 Explore Vibrancy Find out more...

Small Business Saturday

An initiative to inspire shopping at local businesses, "Small Business Saturday" invites Americans to "shop small" during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. After only one year, the program has nearly 2 million "likes" on Facebook.
Small Business Saturday was launched last year as a way to inspire Americans to conduct a portion of their holiday shopping at local businesses. The initiative provided resources for small business owners to promote their business as well as SBS special offers online and in-store. The wide-scale, corporate-backed (American Express) program was launched on the premise that getting a large number of people to "shop small" would help create something huge. With nearly 2 million Facebook "likes", Small Business Saturday has demonstrated that banding together many small components can help create something larger than life, and energize many of the struggling local businesses in America. 
Mission #1 Explore Vibrancy Find out more...

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Carly

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November 21, 2011, 02:34AM
I really like this idea & I'm not sure if this would make the idea have less of an impact but... it would be neat if this was implemented in certain cities monthly, or seasonally, as opposed to just annually.
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Arjan Tupan

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November 14, 2011, 10:47AM
I like this inspiration, and I think it's a great idea and example of how big business can step in to support small business. But... what were the real results? Did the small businesses get significantly higher revenues that day? 2 million facebook likes seems nice, but it is no real indicator of success. Just very curious whether this really worked.
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Lina

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November 09, 2011, 09:51PM
Sometimes we think of small businesses as being fun little shops where we can get a charming gift or pick up a new scented candle or purchase a new collar for our dog and then to have that lunch date with a friend. Often, these stores and cafes are co-located along shopping streets. I love shopping streets for the vibrant places they become and think it's a good start.

To help us grow as week-long patrons of small businesses, let's mix in all of the places we frequent throughout neighborhoods. Schools, offices, markets, pharmacies, gyms, and shops. Small bundles of businesses sprinkled everywhere to keep walking distances short.

My favorite neighborhood small business is the shoe repair. What's yours?
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Ilana Sclar's reply to Carly 's comment

Ilana Sclar

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November 10, 2011, 02:41AM
Tough decision as there are many that I love. If I had to choose, it would be a tie between local diners and bookstores.
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Arjan Tupan's reply to Carly 's comment

Arjan Tupan

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November 14, 2011, 10:45AM
Yes, difficult to answer, but I'd have to say a small coffee place close to home. And the local Donut outlet (there are virtually none in Riga, Latvia, but there's one that's really good).
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OpenIDEO

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November 09, 2011, 07:41PM
Congrats on this post being today's onsite Featured Inspiration!
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Braden Miskin

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November 09, 2011, 03:03AM
Small businesses can do a lot to add to a sense of community. Business owners are invested in their community to begin with and are more in tune with customers than national chains. They add personality unique to their location. Supporting small businesses is definitely key in revitalizing cities.
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Ilana Sclar's reply to Carly 's comment

Ilana Sclar

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November 09, 2011, 02:15PM
Thanks for elaborating, Brandon. That's exactly the reason why I chose to call out this initiative but had not explicitly explained the reason, so I appreciate your doing so. Small businesses are the heart and soul of the people who live, eat, and breathe the city, and are essential to creating a unique personality as well as a strong community. Good team work!
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Meena Kadri

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November 09, 2011, 05:26AM
Fab initiative! Am sure it's built a lot of awareness, not only amongst the already convinced but those who hadn't considered these issues before.
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