ST. PETERSBURG, FL – This summer, LocalShops1 will join the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) and 30 partners throughout North America to highlight Eat Local Months this August and September. This celebration of local food, farmers, and producers is part of a larger Shop Indie Local year-round campaign supported by AMIBA: shopindielocal.org.
A strong local food system keeps communities vibrant, economies growing, and landscapes healthy. When individuals eat local food, the benefits ripple out through the community, helping small businesses thrive. {Add how locally owned food businesses contribute to your community}.
“We want to inspire community members to eat more locally grown, raised, and made foods,” shared Jen Risley, AMIBA’s Shop Indie Local coordinator. “We urge them to meet the farmers, growers, and chefs behind their food, support diversity in their food system, and learn new skills to keep them eating locally throughout the year.”
As part of the Eat Local Month festivities, LocalShops1 will be spotlighting local restaurants, bakeries, breweries and food trucks on our website and social media pages, including LocalShops1 and I Love Tampa Bay, Florida on Facebook and our Instagram page. This Eat Indie Local campaign also coincides with National Farmers’ Market Week, honoring farmers’ markets all across America: farmersmarketcoalition.org.
“Supporting local businesses is more important than ever,” said Ester Venouziou, founder of LocalShops1. “We are proud to partner with AMIBA and dozens of other buy-local organizations throughout the country to help get the word out about local makers, local restaurants, local farmers and local breweries.”
In addition to LocalShops1, Eat Local Months partners include Bachalaash, Bethel Park Chamber of Commerce, Buy Local Blackstone Valley, Cambridge Local First, Community Wealth Builders, Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce, Dane Buy Local, Destination Downtown Newton Alliance, Eat Local First Olympic Peninsula Collaborative, Food Connects, Front Royal Independent Business Alliance, Keep Saint Petersburg Local, Local First, Local First Communities-Manchester, LocalShops1, Louisville Independent Business Alliance, Love Wyandotte, Mason Area Chamber of Commerce, NH Food Alliance, Portland Buy Local, Save Your Town, Shop Local Raleigh, Small Shops United – Geddit Local, Sustainable Business Network, Think Local First Santa Cruz County, TLC Monadnock Vital Communities, Waltham Local First, and Watertown First.
About LocalShops1
LocalShops1, launched in 2008, is Tampa Bay’s source for all things local. Our mission is to provide advocacy, support and education to locally owned, independent businesses throughout the region. In addition to networking socials, educational workshops, and large-scale festivals, LocalShops1 (localshops1.com) provides the buylocaltampabay.com online shopping platform.
About AMIBA
The American Independent Business Alliance was founded in 2001 as part of a nationwide movement to support locally owned, independent businesses, encourage local purchasing, and address the competitive disadvantages that independent businesses often experience due to policies and economic structures: amiba.net.