We the shops of Flourtown enjoy the wonderful experience of working and getting to know this community.We have many
new ideas, fun projects and exciting events that are sure to exhilarate you while helping our local economy. The 350 Project
in Flourtown is one such project. Here is more about it. Inception During the Financial crisis of 2007–2010, small business owners saw pronounced shrinkage in consumer spending from quite early on, leading many to fear for their
existence. In March of that year, on the heels of a week filled with particularly
dire media headlines, Minneapolis, Minnesota based retail consultant Cinda Baxter wrote a blog post titled Save the Economy Three Stores at a Time[1] in hopes of inspiring small business owners to unite under a single banner with the common goal of reigniting local
consumer spending. One week later, she created a flyer that included the Project's message that could be reproduced
on a desktop printer, again posting it on her blog with little expectation its use would extend beyond friends and family. Within the next five days, however, more than 350 emails arrived from business owners
around the country, asking what other materials were available. The following Monday, March 30, 2009, The 3/50 Project website was launched, having been quickly constructed the day before, to give enthusiastic supporters a place to land. By definition The 3/50 Project
focuses its efforts on "independent, locally owned, brick and mortar businesses," basing its definition
of independent on guidelines shared by most Buy Local organizations, with additional points of clarification: - The majority of the business’ ownership is private, by employees, the community,
or an area cooperative, and is resident to the community in which it’s based
- The business
operates out of a physical storefront or similar and is the only business residing at that specific doorway’s address
(not a kiosk, home based business, etc.)
- The business relies solely on its unique name and
reputation (i.e., does not “wear” a nationally or regionally recognized brand name)
- The
business is registered only in its home state, and has no affiliation with an out of state headquarters or corporate office
- Full decision making function for the business is held by the local owner(s), including the name, signage, brand,
appearance, purchasing, etc.
- The business is solely responsible for paying its own rent, marketing,
and other expenses
- It has no more than six outlets, all of which are located in a single state,
with a central base of operations in that state
- It is not a vendor (i.e., does not sell wholesale)
Franchises (see Franchising) and national/regional brand name businesses (see Chain Store) are excluded from the definition because of their access to competitive advantages not available to their true "independent"
counterparts, including volume pricing, corporate headquarter support, and/or "the halo effect" that brings marketplace
visibility each time the parent company advertises (nationally or regionally). Enterprises run as a home business are excluded from the Project entirely since they make no contribution to the commercial property tax base, opting instead
to commit every dollar of profit to personal use (home, residential property tax, etc.). That's not to say that chains, franchises, and other companies cannot or do not support The 3/50 Project. Breaking
from traditional Buy Local models, the Project allows corporate entities outside the scope of "independent" to
register as Supporters, aware that the failure of any brick and mortar business drags down the others that surround it.
More about the project and its positive impact on the community can be found at http://www.facebook.com/The350Project We will be posting more about our involvement and the profound it makes on our community as it develops. So why not
stop in and Shop Flourtown, Shop Local.
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