Press Release
Contact:
Rebecca Jo Dakota, Executive Director, AIBA
(505) 400-0816

For release week of March 4-10

Albuquerque, NM -- On a national scale, mega-retailers are being charged with fueling many of our most pressing problems; from the shrinking middle class to rising pollution to diminished civic engagement. Yet a growing number of communities are successfully countering the trends and rebuilding their local economies, according to Stacy Mitchell, author of Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses. Mitchell contends that the "explosion" of Independent Business Alliances and buy-local campaigns across the country is a very encouraging development of the last few years.

With the City Council considering a moratorium on "big box" developments, this is a timely and interesting question to address in Albuquerque.

AIBA, the Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, presents Ms. Mitchell to speak and conduct a book signing on Tuesday, March 13 at Page One Bookstore, 11018 Montgomery Boulevard NE from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (with Ms. Mitchell speaking at 6:00). The public is invited; Page One and Page One Too are sponsoring entities.

AIBA celebrates the connection between a healthy local economy and strong, vibrant communities. For more information about AIBA, please go to www.keepitquerque.org.

Additional information about the book and its author may be found at: www.bigboxswindle.com.

AIBA Sponsors include: City of Albuquerque (Dept. of Economic Development), Data-Scribe(TM) PNM, Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Cultural Center, Vaughn Wedeen Creative, Women's Specialists of New Mexico, Flying Star Cafe, First Community Bank, and Aurora Publishing.