Independent We Stand Comes to Idaho Falls
Be local, buy local!
This is a message a group of people is spreading across the Rockies.
“We’re asking people to think about the little guy in the corner the next time you’re shopping for whatever you need,” Bill Brunelle, a co-founder of Independent We stand, said.
They are calling it the “Great American Rocky Mountain Road Trip.”
Brunelle said they have driven 1,200 miles on this trip, so far.
Independent We Stand is all about educating communities about the benefits of buying local.
“There’s a growing body of evidence that shows when you support locally owned businesses like hardware stores and bakeries, more money recirculates in the local economy, as opposed going to a big box store or a national chain,” Brunelle said.
The team is visiting five cities, in five states in five days! Thursday was Day Four. The group started in Denver, Colorado then headed to Casper and Wyoming to Bozeman, Montana, before arriving in Idaho Falls Thursday.
“We actually try to do them once a year. Last year, we did Route 66 from Oklahoma, City to Santa Monica (California) and every stop, we are meeting with business owners and main street groups, small business chambers, Brunelle said.
They do this all while promoting local businesses on social media and telling the stories of the owners.
“We are in the second year of the America’s Main Street Contest and what we do is we give people a chance to recognize those of main streets and downtown areas, in small towns that they really like to support and at the end of the contest, we’re going to give away $25,000 in cash,” Brunelle said.
Paul and Stacie Gebo have been the owners of the Ace Hardware store in Ammon for about fifteen years.
“The money stays in the community. It stays locally, it’s reinvested into the community, it recirculates, instead of going to a corporate office somewhere across the country,” Paul Gebo said.
They like being a part of a local business because it helps them remain accountable.
“Most of our staff have been here since we bought the store, so we’re providing jobs, and we are able to work with them one-on-one and set goals, and standards for what we want based on the local needs because we live here. We understand it,” Stacie Gebo said.
The team visited the Westmart Building Center, Marcellar’s Vintage Wine and Brews, Idaho Mountain Trading and Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corp.
The team’s next and last stop will be Friday in Salt Lake City. There, the group plans to visit IPACO Inc., Speeds Power Equipment and Local First Utah.
