Many say part of what makes Austin such a unique and enjoyable place are its local businesses. BookPeople, Amy’s Ice Cream and Waterloo Records are a few shops that have become beloved institutions.
More than 300 local businesses are part of the Austin Independent Business Alliance, a member-driven alliance of locally owned businesses founded in 2002 to promote the importance of supporting local businesses.
And just last week, the AIBA announced a new plan to help local businesses. Streetlight banners along Guadalupe Street in Central Austin identify locally owned businesses. Guadalupe is home to a lot of businesses geared towards University of Texas students, and many of them are chains.
In 1982, Conrad Dejarano did his part to ensure Guadalupe had that local feel. He opened up I Luv Video, the Spider House Café and the environmentally friendly dry cleaner, ecomat.
To him, local businesses are part of the reason people choose to live in certain neighborhoods.
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Buying local
The AIBA promotes shopping districts that they say represent the culture of a neighborhood.
 
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"If this whole environment wasn't here, I don't think people would be as excited about moving into this whole area, you know, let's say Tarrytown or Hyde Park. That is why people want to move into an area because that is what it has to offer," Dejarano said.
Trying to keep that culture alive is one of the goals of the AIBA’s newest campaign, IBIZ districts, or Independent Business Investments Zones.
"[IBIZ’s aims are to] Bringing the businesses in a district together to work together, introducing them to each other, setting up meetings, creating a cooperative group of people working together toward a common goal," Melissa Miller of the Austin Independent Business Alliance said.
There are three other shopping districts centered around Austin neighborhoods - East 11th Street from Navasota to Branch Street; North Loop and South Lamar. Each IBIZ district has monthly promotional events. The Guadalupe IBIZ district holds Third Thursdays and the East End IBIZ district holds First Fridays.
"Local businesses actually contribute three to three and half times more to the economy than that of a chain store," Miller said.
The AIBA says a study found that of $100 spent at a local business, $45 stays in the community. But that same $100 spent at a chain store would put only $13 in the local economy.
"You look at the dollars that small independent businesses bring into the city as well as uniqueness and it's quite phenomenal, it's just huge," Dejarano said.
