Pick 3, Spend 50, Save Your Local Economy

I recently stumbled upon the web site for "The 3/50 Project" while doing some research on small businesses for my job and it made me think about our business districts. We've seen the loss of a number of businesses recently in town and I've wondered what we could do to help improve the viability of our local economy.

If you're a resident, it's pretty simple -- pick 3 and spend $50 each month to help our local economy. If you're a business, click on the resources page to see how you can promote the project right here in town to show your customers and visitors how important it is to spend their money locally.

Link: www.the350project.net

Some Local Shopping Districts Battle Empty Storefronts

On any given day Route 65 near Sewickley is busy, but travel just a few blocks to the village of Sewickley and it’s a different story. Many of the stores lining the streets are vacant, but Sewickley isn’t alone.

In the Mount Lebanon, 9 percent of the stores are vacant. After losing some long-standing stores and not being able to find renters for other properties, area leaders are taking it to the people.

Mt. Lebanon commercial district manager, Eric Milliron said, "We're really pushing a shop-local campaign. We're really trying to get people to understand that for every dollar they spend here in Mt. Lebanon, almost 45 percent of that dollar stays in our local economy."

Link: www.wpxi.com/news/19505215/detail.html

Searching for Small Businesses in Lebo

On the blog's right column, down below our list of Lebo businesses, I've added a new heading: "Mt. Lebanon Sole Proprietors." The title isn't perfectly accurate, since some storefronts in Lebo are run as solos. What I'm hoping to capture are websites for Lebo-based businesses that are too small for a storefront. Professional photographers are good examples, and I've included added two that I'm aware of. Post yours in the comments, or email me at michael.j.madison[at]gmail.com.

Mother-Daughter Businesses Make Wash. Road Home

They are business partners who love and trust one another, and who are, in many cases, best friends who live a stone's throw apart. Open and honest, they engage in vibrant, disagreements without threat of damaging their strong bond.

Some of these business partners even vacation together. But perhaps the biggest selling item: "I get to spend time with my child," said Nancy Rohm, who co-owns Zipper Blues with her daughter, Jamie Rohm.

"I don't know what I would do without my mom," said Donna Deguilio, who operates Moda Donnatella with her mother, Vienna Vizzoca. "I couldn't have picked a better partner," said Tamiko Sampson of daughter Tami Sampson. The pair co-own The Fabric Place.

They are three of a number of mother-daughter duos who are in business together in the 1600--1700 block of Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon.

Link: www.postgazette.com/pg/07130/784665-55.stm

Lebo PR Firm Expands

We blog so much about community and school affairs that Mt. Lebanon business issues sometimes get overlooked. But if you want to keep your real estate and earned income taxes low, become a cheerleader for growth in local payrolls and (fully-taxed) commercial real estate development. Here's a brief corrective:

LarsonO’Brien Advertising, Public Relations and Interactive announced it is expanding its Mt. Lebanon firm, adding seven new hires as it positions itself as specialists in the field of innovative architectural building products.

Joining the firm are three public relations account executives, two interactive designers, a general account executive, and a full-time public relations intern. The hiring signals a significant growth in business for LarsonO’Brien with the expectation for even more growth opportunities in the future.

“About a year ago we determined that what we are doing well is strategic planning and marketing for architectural building products and it has really paid off,” explains Jack O’Brien. “We’ve increased our business by one-third and are definitely growing.”

[via Pop City] [Thanks, Steve!]