Independent retailers might be on the verge of making a comeback. New data show locally owned stores are increasingly popular with shoppers, deliver more jobs and economic benefits than big retailers, and, in a few categories, like books and groceries, are now expanding in number for the first time in years. To learn more, check out this infographic, put together by the Advocates for Independent Business.
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Stacy Mitchell is a senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and coordinator of the Advocates for Independent Business, a coalition of 14 national organizations representing over 150,000 small businesses.