Portland Buy Local to Host Holiday Party and Book Signing

On Saturday, November 18th, Portland Buy Local will be hosting a free public event at One Longfellow Square, (formerly the Center for Cultural Exchange), from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Local author Stacy Mitchell will discuss her new book, Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses, published this month by Beacon Press.

Portland Buy Local will unveil its new holiday poster and ad campaign encouraging residents to "Give a Gift to Portland" by patronizing locally-owned businesses this holiday season.

Since its inception in July, Portland Buy Local has grown to include nearly 200 independent businesses. The group's logo and posters are widely visible around town and many participating businesses report that they are attracting new customers as a result of the campaign.

In her new book, Mitchell highlights the more than 200 communities in Maine and across the U.S. that have rejected big-box development projects since 2000, as well as the growing number of effective "buy local" campaigns launched in communities as far-flung as Raleigh, NC, and Bellingham, WA.