VITAL COMMUNITIES
Local First Alliance 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.
Real Upper Valley Example of Why Keeping It Local Matters
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
What's Happening
The Benefit of B Corps
Certified Benefit Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved b [...]
Thinking Local First
Shop or Buy Local First is a common call to action. The threat to local businesses with competition from online commerce is real and growing, so it is [...]
Local First Members Give Back!
Locally owned businesses are rooted in the Upper Valley and donate time and money to the community every month of the year as they support nonprofit [...]
Think Local First & SAVE this Season!
Local and independent businesses bring value to our communities in many ways: preserving community character, creating stable jobs, supporting area or [...]
Crossroad Farm is the BOM!
Crossroad Farm is the November Business of the Month and to celebrate they are raffling off all the fixing for a Thanksgiving feast - a Misty Knoll tu [...]
Shift Your Shopping this Season!
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 [...]
Celebrate Co-op Month with the Co-op Food Stores!
Celebrate October as Co-op Month, Fair-Trade Month and
Co-op Food Stores as the Business of the Month!
Visit the Co-op Food Stores during the month [...]
The Norwich Bookstore is the BOM!
Celebrate The Norwich Bookstore as the September Business of the Month!
And as a founding Local First Alliance member, The Norwich Bookstore has been [...]
Mascoma Bank is the BOM!
Celebrate Mascoma Bank as Business of the Month August 6-17 and support three nonprofits while you're at it!
Mascoma Bank has put community first sin [...]
High School Communication Contest Winners!
Local First Alliance hosted the 5th annual Upper Valley High School Communications Competition with the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center’s [...]
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
Cathy Maloney, Co-op Food Stores
Ira Richards, West Lebanon Feed & Supply
Sponsors
Champions
Co-op Food Stores
Mascoma Savings Bank
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
