FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The “Fairhope Local” campaign is getting more support from local businesses in the run up to its kickoff event on Monday.

The Fairhope Local Independent Business Alliance (IBA) campaign, spearheaded by Fairhope’s longstanding independently-owned Page and Palette bookstore, begins with a workshop on Monday at The Venue at 8:30 a.m. The program will be facilitated by Lily Brislen, founding directord of “Think Local Umpqua” in Douglas County, Ore. She serves on the board of the American Business Alliance.

“Shopping locally in Fairhope has a positive impact on the entire community,” said Xaviar Hartmann, CPA at Hartmann, Blackman and Kilgore. “Money spent here creates local sales tax revenue which is used by the City to improve infrastructure and our quality of life.”

Hartmann said the “Multiplier Effect” was crucial in creating community wealth.

“The economic impact of one dollar spent is much greater than one dollar, as those funds are used to create employment and to purchase other goods and services,” he said. “Those employees in turn pay taxes and invest back in the local community.”

Heiko Einfeld, Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce Interim Director, has also expressed his support for the shop local campaign and is confirmed to attend the IBA workshop.

“Local merchants are the lifeblood of any community,” Einfeld said. “Anytime you choose to shop locally, you are making the decision to invest in your community.”

The seminar is free and refreshments will be provided. An RSVP is appreciated for planning purposes.

“In the strongest local economies, most dollars are spent at locally-owned businesses, where they recirculate several times in the community. This multiplier effect is a critical, but often overlooked factor in creating community wealth,” said Karin Wilson, owner of Page and Palette bookstore. “Sustaining local ownership isn’t just important for maintaining our community character, it is key to building the long-term economic vitality of downtown Fairhope.”

Wilson told the Fairhope City Council last week that she had put up $2,000 to help bring the event to Fairhope. She said that Pinzone’s Italian restaurant was providing a play to stay for the speaker and The Venue was providing the location.

Attendees are invited to engage in a planning session following Brislen’s presentation to help develop a strategy for carrying out the new “Fairhope Local” campaign — the first AMIBA in the state of Alabama.

“Everyone who cares about maintaining Fairhope’s unique character, regardless of whether they are directly involved in a local business, is encouraged to participate,” said Wilson. “We’ll see some powerful examples of how independent businesses and communities can succeed by uniting and building strength in numbers. We look forward to employing many of these models here in Fairhope.”

Terry Beasley, principal of Fairhope Elementary School, has also spoken out in support of the “Fairhope Local” IBA as a key factor in ensuring the success of local entrepreneurs and the vitality of the Fairhope community.

“Having been born and reared in a very small community, I have witnessed first-hand the value of independently-owned business in sustaining that community,” Beasley said. “I have seen how the disintegration of small businesses changes a community completely. I hope the Fairhope independent businesses can and will be sustained for decades to come; for when they’re gone…they’re gone forever.”

For more information about the Fairhope Local Independent Business Alliance, contact Wilson at karin@pageandpalette.com or 251.928.5295. Follow “Fairhope Local” on Facebook.