Local First engages businesses, organizations, and citizens to strengthen our local economy.

Recognizing that regional prosperity grows from communities actively building economies that strengthen and sustain the places we love —
we work to promote, encourage, and support our local businesses & economy.

Support the Local Businesses & Organizations You Love!

Give to TLC Crowdfunding Campaigns

Give to individual businesses, buy gift cards, and more!

Support a Campaign Today!

Pay it 4WARD & Support the Community of Businesses & Organizations You Love!

Give through the TLC 4WARD platform and support many businesses with one secure and easy payment.
Support a Business Today!

Upper Valley businesses are suffering and we need to be there for
them now, so that they’ll be here for us after this crisis. 

  • Keep your dollars here while staying safe! Order take-out or eat al fresco, open an account at a local bank, buy gift cards to your favorite places, eat local and buy direct from farmers with an online store or visit a farmers market, keep your local subscriptions/memberships
  • Find Upper Valley businesses that are open during the pandemic by searching the Vital Communities Guide.
  • Support local businesses! Give to your favorite businesses and organizations through TLC 4WARD, or contribute to a restaturant employee fund or virtual tip jar.

Upper Valley businesses are suffering and we need to be there for
them now, so that they’ll be here for us after this crisis. 

  • Keep your dollars here! Order take-out, buy gift cards to your favorite places, eat local and buy direct from farmers with a CSA or visit a farmers market, keep your local subscriptions/memberships, open an account at a local bank
  • Find Upper Valley businesses that are open during the pandemic by searching the Vital Communities Guide.
  • Donate to local businesses! Give to your favorite businesses through TLC 4WARD, or contribute to a restaturant employee fund or virtual tip jar.

Find Open Local Businesses and Farms. Search the Vital Communities Guide.

TLC/4WARD Upper Valley

Funding for this project is made possible in part with a Rural Business Development Grant from USDA Rural Development.

You know your favorite business that you call when you need expert advice, a special order, or a raffle donation?
They need you. 

TLC 4WARD Upper Valley is a crowdfunding platform that empowers individuals to invest in our local economy by giving to the local businesses and organizations that are our friends & neighbors and the backbone of our regional economy.

Share whatever you can to help the businesses that create stable jobs, enhance our community character, and generously give back to our community survive the pandemic emergency.

Donate to a Business Now!

Join Local First- New Membership Model!

Take advantage of the resources and projects that can help your business and our economy on the long road to recovery. Local First has a new, more inclusive, membership model, so join us as we work together for an Upper Valley economy that is more local, fair, and green!

Keeping dollars in our economy is the key to community resilience and by joining Local First, you are letting your customers know that they are choosing to support our economy and community when they shop.

Join Today!

Welcome to
The Local Crowd Upper Valley!

The Local Crowd Upper Valley (TLC Upper Valley) is a collaboration of regional economic development and community building supporters working together to cultivate a stronger ecosystem of investors, service providers, and local economy champions to provide access to capital to both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors throughout the region.  

By leveraging the power of crowdfunding, TLC Upper Valley’s fundraising platform will help start-up ventures, early-growth stage companies, and community-based projects find access to capital.

Read about the recent campaigns in Enfield, Canaan, Topsham, and White River Junction that resulted in almost $50,000 in local investing!

Join Local First!

Click Here to Browse Our Members

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Shift Your Shopping and
Gift Thoughtfully This Season!

The mission of the  Shift Your Shopping campaign is to “build a tradition that strengthens local economies, expands local employment, nurtures a sense of community, and provides a more relaxed, fun and rewarding holiday shopping experience.”

Every dollar spent at a local, independent business returns 2-4 times more to be re-spent in the community than a dollar spent at a non-local business. With consumers reporting that they will spend an average $1007 for holiday shopping this year, according to a 2018 National Retail Federation survey, a shift to local purchases represents a significant contribution to local jobs and taxes. Sustained “buy local” campaigns have demonstrated their capacity to shift sizable portions of that spending from chains and remote businesses to local entrepreneurs, according to the Institute for Local Self Reliance. ILSR indexes key local economy studies at https://ilsr.org/.

Local First Alliance is a proud partner in Shift Your Shopping NH!

Because Community Matters

Gift certificates to locally owned businesses are a perfect way to give a thoughtful gift while strengthening our community!

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Find LFA Businesses

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Locally-owned, independent businesses play a crucial role in creating jobs, strengthening our community cohesion & enhancing local character!

Keep the Upper Valley a great place to live, work, and play and think local first when dining out, banking, hiring professional services, or shopping for anything.

Membership

Membership Benefits

Membership Benefits

Learn More >

Join

Join Local First

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Renew

Renew Your Membership Annually

Learn More  >

What's Happening

Read our blog

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15 Things
You Can Do To
Think Local First

See Full List

1. Move your banking to a community bank or credit union, and invest your money in tangible assets like land, or with organizations like the Cooperative Fund of New England that invest in community control.

2. Rent out a room in your home, or swap space for gardening, child or elder care, or carpentry

Advisory Council

Nichole Romano, Great Eastern Radio

Ken Wells, Chair, Mascoma Savings Bank

John Tunnicliffe,  King Arthur Flour

Nancy LaRowe, Manager, Vital Communities

Ed Fox, Co-op Food Stores

Ira Richards, West Lebanon Feed & Supply

Sponsors

Champions
Co-op Food Stores
Mascoma Savings Bank

 

 

 

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Green Circle
King Arthur Flour
LaValley Building Supply
Great Eastern Radio
Valley News
Vital Communities

Promoter
Chippers, Inc.
West Lebanon Feed & Supply
Ledyard National Bank

Sustaining
A.B. Gile Inc.
Fat Hat Clothing
Jake’s Market & Deli / Jake’s Coffee Co.
John Ring CPA
Lyme Green Heat
Nomad Communications
Simple Energy
The Skinny Pancake
Village Green Publishing

Our program is underwritten by these community partners

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La Valley  

       

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Think Local First Photos

Vital Communites News

Hats Off to Our Four Departing Board Members

An earlier version of this post had an incorrect title for Sally Kraft. At its May 20 meeting, the Vital Communities Board of Directors bid farewell to Board of Directors members Bill Geraghty, Sally Kraft, Ronald ...more

Meet Vital Communities' New Directors

An earlier version of this post had an incorrect job title for new Board member Greg Norman. At its May 20, 2021, meeting, the Vital Communities Board of Directors welcomed seven new members, more than replacing ...more

Keynote Speech, Leadership Upper Valley Graduation, June 9, 2021,

The following speech was delivered by Monique Priestley, Chair, Vital Communities Board of Directors, at the Leadership Upper Valley Graduation on June 9, 2021, at the  Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, VT. Hi, everyone! ...more

Spring Salad Made From Anything

I made this colorful crunchy salad on the fly on Memorial Day when the grocery stores were closed for the holiday and my parents, siblings, and out-of-town cousin were on their way over for dinner. I ...more

Mastering Perfect Spinach

When my friend Justin opened a restaurant in Maine, I fixated on his strategy to train kitchen staff: cooks would learn the best one or two ways to prepare each vegetable, so they'd be optimally ...more

Kale Pesto

I diligently planted several basil plants a few weeks ago. A few days later a crazy hail storm arrived. Afterwards, my poor basil plants were diminished to nothing but stems. So I replanted. All along, I was motivated ...more

WAY TO GO! SPRING CHALLENGE

JOIN THE CHALLENGE MAY 1-16 AND BE ENTERED TO WIN PRIZES! Spring is here, so it’s a great time to Get Up and Go! Take the challenge to walk, bike, roll, bus, or carpool May 1 ...more

Launching Year 2 of the Upper Valley E-Bike Library!

Do you wish biking was part of your life? E-bikes can greatly increase that possibility. E-bikes (electric bikes) are like regular bikes but with an electric motor in addition to human-powered pedals, a battery to ...more

Valley Quests Open May 1—including a Guided Event to a Vernal Pool!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 1: It's a big one for Valley Quests! Not only is May 1 Opening Day for Quests—"treasure hunts" that share the natural and cultural history of 160+ special areas in ...more

Free Webinar on Writing Waterway Quests, April 8

Valley Quests are treasure hunts set in special locations around the Upper Valley. Each Quest follows a unique set of clues that teach you about a place’s ecology, wildlife, and history while leading to a ...more

NH Route 120 Improvements Near Exit 18

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has recently begun a project to study multi-modal improvements to NH Route 120 from Hanover Street to Etna Road in Lebanon, NH. This project (NHDOT reference #29612) seeks ...more

Quest to the Star!

Have you seen the star alight upon Mt. Tom in Woodstock?  Wouldn't it be fun to see it up close?  You can if you follow the clues of the Mt. Tom Quest. The star traditionally ...more

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Save Energy

This week marks the close of Vital Communities and volunteers’ 2020 Vermont Energy Savings project in seven towns in the Vermont side of the Upper Valley. Vital Communities partnered with Sustainable Woodstock (serving Woodstock, Hartland, ...more

Weatherize Webinar, August 17

Weatherize Webinar with NHSaves Monday, August 17 at Noon Did Covid-19 stop your 2020 weatherization plans in their tracks? NOW is the right time to jump back on the weatherize band wagon. Lower energy bills and cozy ...more

Welcome 31 New Upper Valley Change-makers

Vital Communities celebrated the graduation of the Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2020 on Wednesday, June 10. This event marked the program’s 14th graduating class, as 31 local leaders completed the 10-month program with a ...more

Five Inspiring Stories

On March 18, Vital Communities held a webinar featuring five inspiring stories from energy committees across the Upper Valley. Stories included: Electric charging stations in Bethel An Upper Valley eBike lending library Energy saving window ...more

Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead

Ed. Note: On May 30, Vital Communities honored 12 community leaders who’ve added immeasurably to the vitality of the Upper Valley at its annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration. The following are the event’s keynote remarks ...more

Heroes & Leaders: Creating a Vital Upper Valley

Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts the annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the Upper Valley. In 2019, we are pleased to honor ...more

 

See a complete listing of all Local First Alliance members!