Your business is invited to participate in the new Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce. Across the nation, green businesses are coming together to grow, learn and engage the broader business community. Tucson is poised to benefit from and lead this new trend. Now is the time to connect our resources into a united green business force through the Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce.
New green jobs, a vibrant green business community and a new revolution in sustainable energy technology will benefit all aspects of our community. Join us!
Green Launch and Lunch
Friday, March 19, 2010
12 to 2 pm
Tucson Association of Realtors
2445 N Tucson Blvd
You will have the opportunity to learn about the work the Chamber is doing, what the benefits are to you, become a member, meet the Board of Directors and network with those making a choice for green.
Green Chamber and Local First AZ Member, Mrs. Green, Gina Murphy-Darling, will be our entertaining and informative Mistress of Ceremonies.
Lunch will be provided by Our Sponsors, and we will look forward to hearing from Congress Woman Gabrielle Giffords via video.
Add your voice to this exciting new group of businesses, non-profits and individuals dedicated to improving our businesses while greening our world! Please RSVP by March 12 to info@SAGCC.org.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
11 a.m. Calvin Charles Gallery 4201 N. Marshall Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Members, Bring Your Banners for the Cameras!
U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell and Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane will join Local First Arizona, the Scottsdale Gallery Association and Scottsdale tourism and business leaders for a press conference to announce support of locally owned Scottsdale businesses. Local First is increasing its efforts to encourage Arizonans to support local, home grown restaurants, shops and businesses which generates a greater economic impact on the local economy.
As part of the announcement, Local First Arizona will unveil its first Small Wonders map of locally owned retail shops and restaurants in Scottsdale. The Scottsdale edition joins the Phoenix and Tempe maps already in circulation. Additionally, in an effort to encourage Arizonans to support local restaurants and businesses, Mitchell will tour the Scottsdale Art Walk Thursday evening.
“In these difficult economic times it is more important than ever to support our local businesses,” Mitchell said. “Buying local means strengthening our local economy, creating local jobs, and ensuring local, more sustainable economic development in our community. As we continue towards economic recovery it is important to help make Arizonans aware of the increased impact they can have on their communities by supporting local businesses.”
Every local news station covered our Buy Local Week press conference and we are expecting a great turnout for this press conference as well. We invite our members to bring banners or signs to hold up behind the podium for the news cameras. It’s a great opportunity to get your business in front of the local news media!
Join us this Thursday to show your support! Please plan to arrive by 10:30 a.m. if you would like to participate in the press conference. Feel free to contact Helene with any questions at helene@localfirstaz.com.
Bashas’ grocery stores are continuing their popular Outdoor Festivals at more locations through March! Held in the parking lot of Bashas’ stores throughout the Valley and Tucson, the Outdoor Festival is a great way to show off your products or to check out some great local goods!
Vendor Expectations for Bashas’ Outdoor Festivals are as follows:
No charge to participate – space will be provided, you keep revenues from your sales
Bring your own 6-8 foot table, signage & pop-up tent
Bring product to sample and sell for 6 hours – can also bring coupons
Booth needs to be staffed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you are selling processed homemade food items, you must have a food processing permit
If you have an open flame (example: kettle corn) you must be compliant with the fire department
You may be inspected by the city to have a peddler’s permit
A few local companies that have featured popular homegrown/homemade items at these events have been asked to sell their items in our stores
For a list of dates & locations of the Outdoor Markets, please email Helene@localfirstaz.com
Today at 5:30 don’t miss an amazing opportunity to hear author and economist Michael Shuman speak about the importance of local economies! Free at the A.E. ENGLAND building at the Civic Space Park!
We will have in attendance the Mayor of Phoenix, The CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the Director of the City of Phoenix Economic Development Department and more!
Let’s show our support for local and pack the place!!
The Downtown Public Market is bringing the food!
It’s not too late to take advantage of some great local deals for the holidays! This Saturday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, so take my advice and avoid the malls! You can pick up truly unique gifts for your friends and family at any one of the thousands of local shops around the state. Browse our online directory by category to find what you’re looking for, also feel free to utilize our Small Wonders maps for Phoenix and Tempe to find some tried and true local favorites! If you’re still on the hunt for some holiday specials, check out the offers below (please note each date of expiration).
Phoenix
Purchase your first custom framing order at regular price & get the second framing order of equal or lesser value at 50% off. Expires 12/24/09
Framin’Works Phoenix
3119 E. Thomas Rd
Phoenix, AZ
(602) 957-1080
Framin’Works Glendale
4961 W Bell Rd Ste B10
Glendale, AZ
(602) 547-9494 www.framinworks.com
Orthodontic Treatment – Mention that you saw found us through Local First AZ and you will get a FREE Orthodontic Examination and Panoramic X-RAY ($175 Value). If you start treatment you will also get a FREE Oral B Electric Toothbrush kit ($150 Value).
For Athletes – We are now exclusive licensed providers of Under Armour Mouthguards. These are performance enhancing, protective mouthguards that are normally $395. Mention that you found us through Local First AZ for a $75 discount!
Both of these offers are good November 27 – December 21, 2009
Arizona Orthodontic Studio
5225 N 19th Avenue #8
Phoenix, AZ 85015
602-242-3289 www.thesmilecreators.com
Mid-City Animal Hospital
Mid-City Animal Hospital will honor all pet prescriptions until December 31, 2009, with a 20% discount for mentioning Local First Arizona. I am also enclosing our prescription drug policy for out of states firms soliciting business in Arizona. They particularly promote Flea and Tick and Heartworm products.
Our policy follows:
As of March 1, 2009, our office will no longer honor or write prescriptions for out of state Pharmacies.
I am not licensed in any state except ARIZONA and can not justify circumventing the law by faxing prescriptions to other states in which I am not licensed. There are Pharmacies in ARIZONA that accept my prescriptions and I will be happy to fax or call the local pharmacies to fill my prescriptions. In the event that the cost to fill the prescriptions in ARIZONA is prohibitive, I will fill the prescriptions in my office for the same price or cheaper than the out of state pharmacies EVEN IF I LOSE MONEY DOING SO!
This policy will hold true for any Veterinarian employed by Mid-City Animal Hospital, LLC! If this is not satisfactory, please let me know and we will forward your records to any Veterinarian of your choosing.
Mid-City Animal Hospital
1745 W Glendale Ave
Phoenix, AZ
(602) 943-3463
Stop by radioMilano on Neighborhood Nights (Mon-Tues) and get one entree + dessert or salad for $20!
You know you’re hungry after an afternoon of holiday shopping, stop by La Grande Orange for Pizza Happy Hour 4-6 pm Mon-Thurs, where a Cheese Pizza is $8 (toppings additional)!
C&A Furniture, LLC, a local manu- facturer of high quality furniture, is offering 10% discount on all furniture pieces in cherry/walnut/maple and 25% discount on all pieces made in oak! This promotion lasts until the end of the year.
C&A Furniture, LLC
250 E. University Dr.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-278-3322 www.CandAfurniture.com
Massage is the perfect ‘one-size-fits-all’ gift. Buy five gift certificates from The Back Rub Company, get one FREE to give away (or better yet use for yourself)! You can contact them at 480-330-2066 or info@thebackrubcompany.com.
This offer is good November 27 – December 31, 2009
Great holiday gift ideas for the artist! Stop into any of their five locations in Arizona to check out for more gifts under $20. Also check out their fantastic Holiday Gift Guide!
Good through December 18th: $5.00 off any Flower purchase, $10 off a Dozen Roses
Joy Necklace and Earring Ensemble Bonus buy!
Purchase $30 bonus buy! You can purchase one Joy Ensemble for $14 for every $30 Full-Price Jewelry purchase. buy $60, get 2, buy $90, get 3! Click here to get the full details.
Any time: Use the coupon code: LocalFirstAZ on our website and get $5.32 off any purchase.
Thanksgiving & Christmas Special
Book any 3 consecutive nights at our Best Available Rate for friends, family or yourself between Nov. 22, 2009 and Dec 30, 2009 and receive a certificate for One complimentary night stay in 2010!
Call 602-252-7363 and ask for rate code HDAY (Offer ends Dec 27th, 2009)
**Rates do not include 12.27% tax, $5.00 transient lodging fee per room/per day or $10.00 per day/per vehicle parking charges. Complimentary night does not include $5.00 transient lodging fee per room/per day or $10.00 per day/per vehicle parking charges.
New Year’s Eve
Deluxe rooms: $169 includes 2 tickets to party ($169-$50 for tickets =$119 you are saving $20 on your room)
Junior Suites: $229 includes 4 tickets to party ($229 – $100 for tickets = $129 you are saving $70 on your room)
One Bedroom Suite: $299 includes 6 tickets to party ($299-$150 for tickets = $149 you are saving $120 on your room)
Book Now as rates and availability are subject to change!! (Rate code: NYE)
**Cancellation policy for Dec 31 is 7 days prior to arrival. Rates do not include 12.27% tax, $5.00 transient lodging fee per room/per day or $10.00 per day/per vehicle parking charges.
Clarendon LOCAL Rate – For Phoenix area locals: Deluxe Rooms $59.00, Junior Suites $69.00 and One Bedroom Suites $99.00 (Discounted rates not applicable with any other promotions, Specials or discounts)
Valid: Nov 25, 2009 – Dec 30, 2009 (Blackout Date: Dec 31, 2009)
(Call 602-252-7363 and ask for Rate Code LOCO) **Phoenix area ID required at check-in.
Tucson
$50 off Urban Athletics Boot Camp, good through December 20th. The coupon code for the discount is “buylocal”. Urban Athletics Boot Camp is a complete body workout designed for all fitness levels. Our class burns of average of 700 calories in a single hour! Whether your goals are weight loss, fitness improvement, or you just want to try something new, our fun group fitness class will inspire and push you to reach your goals.
We are excited about the launch of our upcoming 10% Shift campaign and what it could mean for the Arizona economy. We hope you will use our directory of great local shops, restaurants, and services to help you shift 10% of your spending to local business. This doesn’t involve higher taxes or even more spending… just a small change in behavior. If your habits normally lead you to frequent national chains, we ask that just one time out of ten choose a local business instead. Results below:
We are in the middle of Buy Local Week in Phoenix and Tucson after a great kickoff weekend! Congressman Harry Mitchell, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, and Eddie Basha all showed their support of local business at a press conference at Basha’s in Ahwatukee on Friday. We were also joined by numerous business owners and local farmers and producers, the backbone of our local economy. Tucson threw numerous block parties surrounding local business centers, celebrating some of the local favorites with Black Friday deals, live music, and tons of free giveaways. Many local deals are still being offered in Phoenix and Tucson.
We were fortunate to receive some news coverage during some of these events which I’m collecting here. With our economy in dire straits, stories on spending your dollars locally are more important than ever!
Tucson
Buy Local Day was a big success in Tucson! With multiple block parties and lots of local business deals, many holiday shoppers were able to load up on gifts while keeping more of their money in the Tucson economy. Click here for a clip from KOLD News 13 coverage
Phoenix
KPHO 5 ran a story with some great coverage of Bookmans and Do Me A Favor, check out the video here! They run over some Black Friday stats followed by the statement that $45 out of every $100 spent at a local business stays in the local economy! The word “local” has recently been claimed by multiple corporations without their having to define the word. True, the spaces from which they sell their goods are local, but the ownership (and therefore the trail of profits) is usually not. So to clarify the previous statistic, $45 out of $100 stays in our local economy only when spent at a locally owned business. If you were to spend $100 at your “local” national chain store, approximately $13 would remain in the state. That said, it’s always promising to see positive coverage of local businesses and the importance of the communities support!
Some more coverage of Buy Local Week featuring Shaun Breese of Urban Cookies urging shoppers to “think local first.” The rest of the story blurs the lines between “local” (as in located in your area) and “locally owned” (as in the money stays in your area).
12 News ran somewhat of a downer of a story. I’m not sure if all of the folks interviewed were right outside of a mall, but none seemed aware of their options or even the full implications of their choices. Is sending large chunks of our money out of state really “the best deal”? Congressman Harry Mitchell explained how local businesses in turn support other local services, & Rachel at Bunky Boutique scored some points for shopping local. Watch the video below and let us know what you think in the comments.
Here are some cool articles covering this year’s Buy Local Week
While we focus extra hard on spending locally during Buy Local Week, these practices offer the same great results year-round: unique stock, personalized service, a diverse culture, and more money recirculating our great state! Search our online directory for whatever it is you’re looking for; banks, retail, coffee, auto repair, you name it.
The November issue of Phoenix Magazine begins its highlights of 130 Local First Arizona business members.
If you missed the article in print, read their story online. Just in time for holiday shopping and don’t forget to buy yourself something!
Make the Shift
Their “Make the Shift” article also has great pointers on moving your spending into the local economy. Just a small change in your buying habits makes a big difference!
Shop Local!