About Buy Local Berkeley

Buy Local Berkeley is a collaborative of merchant associations and individual small business owners in Berkeley. We educate about the cultural, environmental, community and economic benefits of shopping at locally owned and operated businesses. Our goal is to inspire people to shift their spending to Berkeley businesses whenever possible.

For businesses we provide joint promotional campaigns, education and training and the chance to stay strong by building relationships.

For individuals we are a resource to find what people want from Berkeley independent purveyors. We are a conduit for people to show their support for the amazing businesses and organizations that make Berkeley one-of-a-kind!

We are big fans of reducing our environmental impact by enjoying the independent arts, dining, culture and shopping attractions of our town. We also love building community spirit by strengthening connections across people, businesses and non-profits.

History

The effort grew out of the Berkeley Business District Network meetings that coordinated promotional efforts of a number of shopping areas in Berkeley. In 2007, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies hosted their annual conference at UC Berkeley and a number Berkeley Community members were inspired by the Buy Local movement active in a number of cities across the nation.

Since then, the group has formalized itself through a Memorandum of Understanding, a fiscal sponsor (Downtown Berkeley Association) and a steering committee. Currently, we have a contract with the City of Berkeley to conduct a niche marketing campaign to promote our community’s locally owned, independent businesses.

The Executive Committee meets weekly to support programs. The Steering Committee meets quarterly to set strategic direction. For info on meeting times go to our Events Page.

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