[Forum] entrepreneurial spirit!!

[Jane Hudson]

Wow, what a great burst of energy and ideas. I guess the idea I like  
most is Blair's notion of assistance for artist/entrepreneurial  
ventures. As artist/entrepreneurs in town, Jeff and I would love to  
see more people take up the task of becoming businesses. I think one  
possibility is a group shop on the lines of Crafty Creations. They  
have quite a thriving business (I note that when we're open, whoever  
is shopping on Main St. often has a bag from that store). There is a  
lot of space available, and from our experience, Scarafoni will make  
some accommodations to get businesses off the ground. Obviously, the  
more destinations there are, the more folks from MoCA, Porches and  
Holiday Inn will venture forth into available options.
I also like the idea of artist floats for the Foliage Parade (as well  
as a presence for other all-City events). They don't have to be  
fabulous, but should be imaginative, fun. I bet local businesses,  
banks, restaurants would sponsor floats for advertising.  I don't  
think we should be afraid of being funky, or better said, modest.  
Stay within our resources and use ingenuity to make up for what we  
lack in dough.
My small rant for the day.
Best,
Jane

On Mar 6, 2007, at 3:45 PM, Kurt Kolok wrote:

> There was actually an article in the NY Times last week about this  
> (Berkshares has it on their own site http://www.berkshares.org/ 
> press/07feb26nyt.htm --even though it's not all rosy).
> Although it has some pluses there are definitely some drawbacks.   
> Some businesses using the Berkshares didn't feel right using them  
> to pay other businesses for product or services, while others (aka  
> Guido's) simply ate the 10% discount they gave to Berkshares  
> customers by reducing their marketing budget/advertising.  Both of  
> these examples hurt other area businesses.  Meanwhile...some people  
> have been literally snubbing businesses that can't afford to take  
> the 10% hit and one of the founders of the program seemed to shrug  
> that off as the choice of each individual business.  It sounds like  
> Berkshares is actually on track to cause more problems and  
> divisions within the small business community than providing the  
> support it claims.  As a local businessman I would definitely not  
> jump on this band wagon.  Honestly we should want to support our  
> local businesses (assuming they offer what we're looking for)  
> knowing that healthy businesses promote a healthy community.
>
> Quoting the article..."Ms. Witt makes no apologies for avoiding  
> places that do not support the program. “It’s an economic choice,”  
> she says".  Yes...it is an economic choice--one that many small  
> businesses cannot afford to make.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Joshua Field wrote:
>> The current thread is an excellent discussion and I do not want to  
>> sidetrack it, but just curious if any of the artists/organizations  
>> on this list have considered participating in the Berkshares  
>> program. It seems like just the sort of counterculture activity  
>> that would interest a group of artists working to find economic  
>> alternatives and new ways to reach audiences (this was recently  
>> featured on ABC World News!):
>>
>> http://www.berkshares.org/index.htm
>>
>> If folks are interested (and this is an example of the interesting  
>> exposure opportunities that come through simply coordinating), it  
>> might make sense to join as a large group in order to make it  
>> press-worthy.
>>
>> *What are BerkShares?*
>>
>> BerkShares are a local currency designed for use in the Southern  
>> Berkshire region of Massachusetts with issue by BerkShares, Inc.,  
>> a non-profit organization working in collaboration with the  
>> Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, participating local banks,  
>> local businesses, and local non-profit organizations.
>>
>> The purpose of a local currency is to function on a local scale  
>> the same way that national currencies have functioned on a  
>> national scale—building the local economy by maximizing  
>> circulation of trade within a defined region. Widely used in the  
>> early 1900s, local currencies are again being recognized as a tool  
>> for sustainable economic development. The currency distinguishes  
>> the local businesses that accept the currency from those that do  
>> not, building stronger relationships and a greater affinity  
>> between the business community and the citizens of a particular  
>> place.
>>
>> The people who choose to use the currency make a conscious  
>> commitment to buy local first. They are taking personal  
>> responsibility for the health and well-being of their community by  
>> laying the foundation of a truly vibrant, thriving local economy.
>>
>> BerkShares will not, and are not intended to, replace federal  
>> currency. Their use will help strengthen the regional economy,  
>> favoring locally owned enterprises, local manufacturing, and local  
>> jobs, and reducing the region's dependence on an unpredictable  
>> global economy.
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Forum mailing list
> Forum at berkshirevisualarts.org
> http://lists.berkshirevisualarts.org/mailman/listinfo/forum

http://officialjeffandjane.com


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.berkshirevisualarts.org/pipermail/forum/attachments/20070306/5e8d6dd5/attachment.html