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!
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
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
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.
In response to the pandemic-caused economic crisis, Vital Communities is welcoming all locally owned businesses to join Local First for free and take advantage of the resources and projects that can help your business and our economy on the long road to recovery.
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.
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/.
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.
Do you own an Upper Valley business that is suffering due to the effects of the pandemic and could use a little help from your friends? TLC 4WARD [...]
Do you own an Upper Valley business that is impacted by Covid-19 and could use a little help from your friends? TLC/4WARD is here to help.
Vital Co [...]
Wendell Berry once said that by choosing to support a local business in your community, you're essentially telling that business owner, "I want you to [...]
Get the information you need to move forward with a renewable energy or energy efficiency project in Vermont or New Hampshire. Join Ken Yearman, Rural [...]
Calling all Upper Valley farms and small businesses!
Could your business benefit from professional consulting services to improve your marketing? Wi [...]
Local Investing Success with TLC Upper Valley!
The Local Crowd (TLC) Upper Valley is a locally based crowdfunding platform that empowers individuals [...]
Locally owned businesses are rooted in the Upper Valley and donate time and money every month of the year as they support nonprofits, schools, and co [...]
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 [...]
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
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
For “Get Out & Bike” Week we asked the Vital Communities network to submit their favorite hometown bike rides, ideally 10 miles and under. Here are some of the submissions!
ENFIELD: Around Mascoma Lake (7 miles)
Start in downtown ...more
A quick update on Upper Valley housing from our Workforce Housing Coordinator, Mike Kiess:
Support for people experiencing homeless and housing insecurity has been expanded on both sides of the river. In Vermont, the state has ...more
Ever wanted to cook a meal from a local restaurant in your own kitchen? Now you can! Released last Friday, the “Isolate and Create” digital cookbook features delicious recipes from 15 Vermont restaurants. All profits ...more
Getting outdoors is good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health, especially during this time of added stress due to COVID-19. We are closely following our state government recommendations in Vermont and New Hampshire regarding ...more
Work from home and help raise $500 for Vermont Foodbank. Simply record your telecommute trips in your Go! Vermont account every day that you work from home and when 500 telecommutes have been recorded, we'll ...more
I hope this note finds you all healthy and adjusting to the routines of remote learning and teaching. I know my family and I are starting to feel a rhythm in our days and finding ourselves to be ...more
Over these past few weeks I have experienced waves of anxiety and sadness, and at the same time such gratitude. I can’t imagine going through this crisis in any other part of the world. The ...more
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
You're Invited!
The 13th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable will be held Tuesday, September 15, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an ...more
Event Postponed
We will be rescheduling the forum
to the late spring or next fall
Upper Valley Farm to School Forum: Trauma & Nutrition
March 19 4:30-7pm
Sharon Elementary School
75 VT Route 132, Sharon, VT 05065
Join the Upper Valley ...more
Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil
Spring Community Webinar Series to Unpack What Creating Our Future Looks Like
What is good for the soil is good for our communities. Deep healthy soil governs flood resilience, ...more
Check out this newly produced, six-minute YouTube video on Efficient Heating in Vermont, created by Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission.
The video describes the types and benefits of home heating options and describes the current rebates ...more
Join Vital Communities' Valley Quest Coordinator Beth Roy on a guided treasure hunt of the trees of Dartmouth. Celebrate fall as we discover many exotic trees around the Dartmouth College Campus and learn about their ...more
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
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
On May 17, 2019 the rest of the country is celebrating National Bike to Work Day, but here in the Upper Valley we’ll be taking it a step further with our second annual Curb The ...more
We love pairing style with nighttime visibility, so we've ordered REFLECTIVE SLAP BRACELETS to reward people who bike or walk to Flavors of the Valley on Sunday, April 7!
If you bike and walk to the ...more
On the bright, sunny morning of June 13, Cobb Hill was waking up, and the soon-to-be graduating 2018 Leadership Upper Valley class was just arriving for their final meeting. Before the ceremony at Harpoon Brewery, ...more
See a complete listing of all Local First Alliance members!
VITAL COMMUNITIES
