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Shop Local, In Your Pajamas

Think Local Chico — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:17:28 +0000

Shop local AND green at Greenfeet.com, just one of the many local retailers online.Suppose you want to shop local this holiday season—but you want to do it in your pajamas. Where can you go?

Check out the online shopping opportunities at these locally-owned independent Chico businesses. And let us know if we forgot any other great local online shopping sites.

For all things green
Greenfeet.com

For the reader
Lyon Books

For the weaver
AVL Looms

For good causes
ARC of Butte County
Little Red Hen

For mom, aunt or grandma
California Organic Flowers

For the sporty types
Chico Sports Ltd.

For the chai lover
Chico Chai

For the nut lover
Maisie Janes California Sunshine Products

For the foodie
Panforte Company

For the teenager
Lulu's
Trucker

For the over 21
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

For the new mama/daddy/grandma/grandpa
Moby Wrap

For the sweet tooth
Shubert's Ice Cream & Candy

For the art glass lover
Orient & Flume Art Glass
Satava Art Glass

For the art glass blower
Red Hot Metal

For you
Wild Ink Press

For everyone
ChicoBag

New Think Local, Chico! Facebook page launched!

Think Local Chico — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:23:26 +0000

Be sure to visit and "Like" our new Think, Local Chico! Facebook page (replacing our old Facebook Group).

We'll be using our page to highlight the many great locally-owned independent businesses in Chico!

Think Local, Chico! launches new Buy Local Guide

Think Local Chico — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:23:34 +0000

Shopping local in Chico just got easier!

Now there's a place to go when you want to find a restaurant, store or service in the Chico area and keep your spending local.

Announcing the Think Local, Chico! Buy Local Guide.

Our guide is the only comprehensive local directory site for the Chico area that lists just locally-owned, independent businesses. Businesses must meet our eligibility criteria to be included in the Guide.

The Guide is categorized, fully searchable and includes featured business profiles and a photo gallery of local businesses.

Listings are FREE! Business owners are invited to submit a listing to the Guide now. Have ready your basic business and contact information as well as a brief business description of 150 words or less.

Visit the site, submit a business listing and tell your friends!

Shop local in Chico with the Buy Local Guide!

Think Local, Chico! to Pursue 501 (c)(3) Non-profit Status

Think Local Chico — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:54:55 +0000

At our January 2010 meeting, the board of directors of Think Local, Chico! decided to modify our organizational structure and begin the process of becoming a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. (Prior to this action, our organization was planned to be a 501 (c)(6) organization—a membership organization devoted to the improvement of business conditions for local businesses).

This change will allow Think Local, Chico! to refocus our efforts on helping grow a sustainable, living economy in Chico and preserving the unique local character of our area.

While improving business conditions for locally owned, independent businesses will still be part of our mission, we will now be able to focus more directly on bringing our message to consumers and the public in general—citizens like you who choose, whenever possible, to spend their money with locally owned businesses.

More on what this change means:

As a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, we will no longer have members. Instead we hope to have active supporters who will continue to join with us, financially and otherwise, to advance the mission of the organization.
We will attempt to promote all locally owned independent businesses, regardless of whether they are financial supporters of the organization.
We will still have criteria for being a "locally owned, independent business."
The North Valley Community Foundation will serve as our umbrella organization as we pursue our non-profit status.

All existing Think Local, Chico! members will be given the title of "Founding Supporters" and will be highlighted as such on our website and promotional materials.

Chico Joins Nationwide Living Economies Movement

Think Local Chico — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:38:00 +0000

Think Local, Chico! to promote local, sustainable business network

In early January, Chico became the first Sacramento Valley community to receive official membership status with the prestigious Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). After twenty months of foundation building, the organization Think Local, Chico! became recognized as a BALLE network working toward the goal of a vital and resilient locally owned, independent business sector.

"Being part of this nationwide network is a huge boost in helping us make Chico an island of success in a sea of economic turmoil," said Marc Kessler, who sells Chico-grown flowers at the Farmer's Market and ships them nationwide for his local business, California Organic Flowers. Businesses like Kessler's infuse our local economy with outside money, since living economies are both self-reliant and exporting.

America's economy is ailing. The solution is economic development based on place, relationships and life-honoring values. Initial efforts of Think Local, Chico! include the establishment of an online directory of Chico's locally owned, independent businesses, a Buy Local First campaign, a local gift card program and seasonal networking events for members.

At its first official Board meeting held January 13, the Think Local, Chico! BOD approved the following ten building blocks for our local economy endeavors: sustainable agriculture, independent retail, zero-waste manufacturing, green building, renewable energy, arts & culture, professional services, media, healthcare, and community capital. TLC is expanding its BOD, currently comprised of representatives of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the Chico News & Review, The Chico Project and Maisie Jane's Sunshine Products, as well as representatives of founding businesses California Organic Flowers, Lyon Books, Red Tavern, and Greenfeet.

"Keeping local dollars circulating in our community improves our parks, schools and quality of life," said Maria Venturino, whose menu at Red Tavern boasts many locally grown ingredients. She continued, "Working for a locally owned business is more meaningful for the employee." According to a 2006 Iowa State University study at an ethanol plant, as the percentage of local ownership increases, so does the number of jobs created locally.

Think Local, Chico! will do everything possible to strengthen our local economy by working collaboratively with businesses, non-profit organizations and citizens in the community.

Think Local, Chico! Kick Off Event

Think Local Chico — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:19:07 +0000

With fall in full swing and the holiday season approaching, we at Think Local, Chico! are enthusiastically engaged in growing our community's locally owned, independent business sector.

Thanks to those of you who attended our successful September kick-off at Red Tavern, and to our newest members for signing up to add your voice to our living economy building endeavors.

Since the kick-off, we completed our application to be official members of the national Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). Our application will soon be approved.

In these economic times, we believe local living economies are the solution, and Chico is as ripe for this movement as any community in the nation. Citizens and local business owners here understand the importance of a strong local economy and are increasingly putting their money where their values are.

Kudos to the Chico News & Review for their full page ad in last week's issue simply stating: "Shop local this season." The San Francisco Bay Guardian is also hip to the living economy movement and last Thursday, Think Local Chico!'s co-founder Jessica Rios met with regional BALLE network leaders in San Francisco to forward our local efforts. As a result, we're growing connections with Go Local Sonoma County and Nevada City's BALLE network.