Louisville, KY – You’ve proved you know how to shop local for holiday gift giving, but now let’s talk business. Where do you buy your printer paper? Who does your taxes? How do you market your service or product? Do you shop local for these services also? An upcoming event will give attendees the chance to ‘walk the talk’ and find quality, local vendors for their business purchases.
The Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA), an organization with 900 local and independent business members, will host the fourth annual Louisville Local Business expo on Tuesday, January 22 from 1:00pm-4pm at the Mellwood Arts Center (Picasso Room), 1860 Mellwood Avenue. The expo will showcase over 60 local and independent “Business to Business” companies, giving purchasing decision makers the opportunity to explore local options for their needs. Admission is free with a business card.
Attendees can expect a personalized experience at the expo, from business specific consultations to having their own portraits drawn. New this year will be:
- Quick Learns – scattered throughout the event, these will offer brief (10-15 minute) one-on-one consultations so attendees can quickly get some personalized, hands on knowledge from experts. There will be a variety of topics offered, ranging from “Hands On Help With Your Yelp! Listing” to “Elevate Your Questions and Make Better Decisions.” Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptops and materials from their business to work on.
- Entertaining Keepsakes – Local caricature artist Vicki Richardson will be drawing custom portraits with a special “Buy Local” tag so attendees can commemorate their love for buying local.
- Festival fun – fresh popped popcorn and a giant Connect 4 game will keep energy levels high.
“This expo is a one stop shop for local business success,” says Jennifer Rubenstein, Executive Director of LIBA. “We’ve all been to business expos, but ours is unique in that it also seeks to strengthen the local economy by keeping our dollars circulating locally.”
LIBA members are also invited to a luncheon just prior to the expo, where the 2019 LIBA board will be elected and Mayor Greg Fischer will be the featured speaker.
Making a shift in our purchasing habits can have big effects on our local economy, keeping more dollars circulating locally. A market shift of just 10% to local independent businesses would retain an additional $416 million in our regional economy, which helps all of Louisville businesses.
The event is sponsored by Total Office Products & Service, Broker House Lending, Louisville Public Media, Streamline Payments, Tilford Dobbins & Schmidt PLLC, and others.
About the Louisville Independent Business Alliance
LIBA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the unique community character of the Metro Louisville area by promoting locally-owned businesses and to educate citizens on the value of buying locally. For more information about LIBA, visit www.keeplouisvilleweird.com.
