Category Archives: Retail

It might be too early to announce the company’s death, but good riddance to Groupon

By Mark | March 2, 2013

I’ve never liked Groupon. Rightly or wrongly, I’ve always thought that the company, and it’s well-known “daily deals,” were bad for small businesses. My sense, and I’ve had it verified by a few business owners, is that they gravitate toward Groupon when they’re desperate, offering deep, unsustainable discounts to Groupon users, who, for the most [...]

Also posted in Economics, Local Business, Marketing, Other | Tagged Andrew Mason, business ideas, business models, coupons, getting fired, Groupon, small business | 16 Comments

Having won the title of World’s Best Comic Book Store, Ann Arbor’s Vault of Midnight plots global domination

By Mark | February 25, 2013

After years of shopping at Ann Arbor’s much-beloved comic book shop Vault of Midnight, I finally had the occasion a few weeks ago, at an event hosted by Concentrate Media, to meet the store’s founder Curtis Sullivan. What started as a friendly conversation on the current state of Ann Arbor retail quickly escalated into an [...]

Also posted in Ann Arbor, Art and Culture, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Pop Culture, Uncategorized | Tagged Ann Arbor Skate Park, Art Prize, Batman, Comic Book Men, comic books, comics, Conan, Concentrate Media, Curtis Sullivan, Doctor Strange, Elizabeth Sullivan, entrepreneurism, entrepreneurship, Eye of Agamotto, games, Grand Rapids, graphic novels, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, Jim Ottaviani, Kevin Smith, Ming Chen, Morrison Restaurants, Norm Harris, retail in Ann Arbor, Ruby Tuesdays, Steve Fodale, superheroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, toys, Vault of Midnight, vinyl figures, Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award | 18 Comments

Author Amy Cortese on the burgeoning “locavesting” movement, and how we can harness it in Michigan

By Mark | October 25, 2012

Next Tuesday, October 30, Think Local First will be bringing author Amy Cortese to Ann Arbor to discuss her book Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It. Following is my interview with Amy, who, in addition to being a published author, has written for the likes of the New York [...]

Also posted in Ann Arbor, Economics, entrepreneurism, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Tagged Accelerating Community Capital, American Sustainable Business Council, Amy Cortese, Arbor Brewing Company, blood funnel, blue sky laws, butchershop, buy local, CDFI, Chamber of Commerce, Clare, community development loan funds, Cops & Doughnuts, crowdfunding, CSA, Dante Hesse, economic development, interviews, investing, Jobs Act, Judy Wicks, Jumpstart Our Business Startups, Kickstarter, LION, lobbying, local investing, Local Investing Opportunities Network, Localist, locavesting, Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It, Main Street vs. Wall Street, Matt Greff, Milk Thistle Farm, move your money to a credit union, Obama, Occupy Wall Street, Port Townsend, Port Townsend LION, private placement, public offering, Rene Greff, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, single-payer system, Slow Money, Small Business Administration, Stacy Mitchell, subsidies, tax loopholes, tax reform, The Big Box Swindle, The Brinery, Think Local First, unaccredited investors, Woody Tasch, Zingerman's | 7 Comments

The emergence of Local Economy Centers

By Mark | June 6, 2012

I didn’t have an opportunity to meet her at the recent BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, but, as luck would have it, I was able to dial in to a conference call during my lunch hour a couple of days ago, and ask a few questions of Kelley Rajala, the woman who runs the Sonoma [...]

Also posted in entrepreneurism, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Shadow Art Fair, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Tagged alternative currency, Amy's Kitchen, BALLE, Bethesda, biomimicry, Business Allianc, business incubators, California, Cleveland, co-working, Dave Feldman, employee ownership, Evergreen Cooperative, Kelley Rajala, Livability Project, Local Economy Centers, Local Economy Institute, localism, Made Local Marketplace, Maryland, ownership, permaculture, Santa Rosa, Share Exchange, Slow Money, social justice, Sonoma Country Share Exchange, time bank, Transition Town, Transition US | 6 Comments

Friends vying for $50K in Hatch Detroit competition, and how Ypsi could have done it first, if I’d had my shit together

By Mark | October 3, 2011

Two of my friends, Joe Posch and Lisa Waud are in the running for a $50,000 prize in a competition called Hatch Detroit. The ultimate objective of the project, according to organizers Ted Balowski and Nick Gorga, is to get entrepreneurs moving into downtown Detroit, and trying new things. And, toward that end, both of [...]