Amesbury First Festival The Amesbury First Committee will be holding the 1st Annual Amesbury First Festival on Saturday, May 15th from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Vendors will be set up in Market Square demonstrating and offering environmentally friendly products. Among the participants are: Adros Energy, Amesbury Educational Foundation, Inc.; Amesbury Public Library; Bertram & Oliver Booksellers; CharacterCapers.com/Big Outdoors Adventure Club; Cider Hill Farms;Coastal Connections, Inc.; Crafters Quarters; CSA Haverhill; Dancing Tree Studio; Davis Jack's; Energy Audits Unlimited; Essencia Spa, Fiddlestix; Green Alliance; H.I. 5 Renewable Energy Systems, Inc.; Lucy's Love Bus; Maggie Sundae; Maxwell Jewelers, Mill 77; Ovedia Artisan Chocolates; Penguin Windows; Phat Cats Bistro; Plum Island Coffee Roasters, Real Bodies of Amesbury - Clothing from Bali; Real Green Goods; Renaissance Plastering; Ristorante Molise, Riverwalk Bead Shop & Gallery; Seacoast Energy Alternative, Inc; Softer Touch; Stella, The Natural Step, The Whittier Home, Window Woman of New England, Zemanian Jewelers & More!
What:
Date/Time
Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Where:
Participating Shops/Businesses in Amesbury
Celebrate Sustainability - Experience and enjoy food from local restaurants, music, community quilting, book readings, children's art projects and more. Tour local businesses that are doing their part to "Go Green". Get information from local organizations.
Learn more about the 10% Shift movement, which asks local residents to shift 10% of their purchasing from non-local businesses to locally-owned independent businesses. This 10% shift helps locally-owned independent businesses succeed, produces higher revenues, promotes job creation and enriches the community.
The Amesbury First Committee, a part of the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce & Industrial Foundation, focuses on building awareness of the local business community, including stores, food establishments, professional services, artists and more!
For more information contact the Chamber at 978-388-3178.
About Amesbury First
Amesbury First is an organization that encourages the community to shift a portion of their spending dollars locally. Even a 10% shift of local purchasing would make a profound difference in the economic sustainability of locally-owned, independent businesses and the health of our community.
Amesbury First, a part of the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce, focuses its work on building awareness of the riches within our local business community – stores, food establishments, professional services, artists and more.
About The 10% Shift:
Amesbury First has at its core The 10% Shift - a grassroots movement, begun in New England, of businesses, organizations and citizens working to help people shift 10% of their spending from non-local businesses to locally-owned independent businesses. It’s about a modest shift in where people spend money; it’s not about spending more. All it takes is thinking first about buying goods and obtaining services in your own home town. If everyone made a 10% shift we would experience extraordinary results: higher revenues, job creation, more entrepreneurial ventures, and enriched communities.
For more information go to:
The 10% Shift: Build Strong Local Economies by Purchasing with Purpose
The goals of Amesbury First include:
Awareness: To raise awareness of the importance of buying locally, and to inform the community about the growing number of locally-owned businesses in Amesbury
Think Amesbury first: To help people think about shopping first in Amesbury before taking their business elsewhere, including to chains or to stores owned by people living outside our community
Thriving Economy: To build a healthy thriving local economy
Revitalize Community: To preserve the unique character of our community while positively impacting it through increased business, more jobs, and a greater sense of pride in Amesbury
Affect Policy: To support public policy that improves the business environment for locally-owned businesses
Amesbury First is focused on the greater Amesbury area, and encompasses stores, food establishments, professional services, artists and more.
How do I join Amesbury First?
If you’re a business, please contact the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce
If you’re a community member, please support the goals of Amesbury First by shopping locally and encouraging your neighbors to do the same
If you’d like to volunteer, please contact the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce
Recommended reading:
Growing Local Value by Laury Hammel and Gun Denhart
We got off to a great start in May 2009!
Laury Hammel, the co-author of Growing Local Value spoke to a large gathering of Amesbury business people, bringing to light the concepts of The 10% Shift and building business partnerships to strengthen our community.
