Look! We're on TV!

It's Thursday morning, and as I type, Kristin Carlson of WCAX News is interviewing Linda for a three-part series about independently owned businesses in Vermont. Linda's talking about how she opened the store, the store's role in our community, and the impact of the economic recession on our business.

They've asked me to stand at the counter, in the background, so that there's "something going on," which means that even though I'm not in the camera's focus, I'm feeling a lot of pressure here to provide adequate and appropriate background action. Typing a blog seemed like it would keep me busy without looking like I'm trying to hard. Oh, the pressure!

Whew - interview's over, so now it's just a matter of Joe, the camera man, walking around the store to get some B-roll footage. It sounds, so far, like it's going to be a great segment!

The piece they just filmed, along with two others on locally owned businesses--Capitol Stationers and Franklin Telephone Company--will air next week, one per night, beginning Tuesday on the six o'clock news.

What is "local" anyway?

Even locavores can disagree on what constitutes locally produced food. Is it food that has been grown and processed within 100 miles of your home, within 50 miles, within your home state, or within your county? For non-locavores, shopping locally might include purchasing Mexican grown watermelon from your locally owned market; books printed in China from your independent bookstore; and yarn from your neighbor who raises the sheep and spins their wool in her home. It is this type of ambiguity which has begun to present a new challenge to independent business owners.

Shopping locally is an important way to keep our communities flourishing. As our economy flounders and more businesses shut their doors, chambers of commerce and other organizations are promoting "Buy Local" as a way to prevent or reverse the downward turn in their hometowns. The question is, what does "Buy Local" mean? Just as the word "organic" was co-opted by large corporations with a nose for profit, the term "local" has become the latest catchword to be bandied about by the same national and global giants.

Stacy Mitchell, author of Big Box Swindle, has written a thoughtful and illuminating article for Seven Days about this alarming trend. If you're looking for more reading on the topic, here are a few possibilities:

Food, Inc.

Deep Economy

The New Village Green

The Transition Handbook

Lifting the Yoke