July 12, 2005
Do You Buy Indie?
Vince Wadhwani likes cities. After a stint as what he describes as an "engineer in the midwest," Vince moved to Washington, D.C. not only to get an MBA but also for the urban lifestyle - the public transit, the fun things to do, and unique businesses to explore. However, Vince was irked by the omnipresent corporate chains, which he views as part of the suburban world he thought he had left behind. In order to help support and promote independent businesses (which he defines as having less than four locations) he built a website called BuyIndie where you can enter information about independent businesses, rank them, and even leave comments.
The politics of corporate franchises aside, we like what he's trying to do: we here at DCist like the quirks of independent businesses and the unique flavor they give our neighborhoods. We do our best to support them when possible. Although BuyIndie is a good idea, it doesn't have many entries yet. That's where you fit in: go and add your favorite haunts. We're also exploring options to integrate our content with his site, but we'd like your feedback first. What do you think of the site? Would you like to see us work together?
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Sweet post, i like how your buyindie man is linking up to all your posts, sending his traffic to you and you sending to him...too bad we all can't be in the back scratching circle....
It's an interesting concept but I can't see a reason to keep going back to the site. I might use it when visiting another city but probably would have forgotten about buyindie.net by then. It's a good first time resource so one time visits would be the norm in my opinionn.
I generally approve of any business that sees it as a good idea to invest in urban neighborhoods and build in a manner that works well for the business, their customers, and the neighborhood. I prefer indepentently-owned stores, but I do shop at chains as a matter of convience and economics - sorry, but my wallet dictates that I shop at Ikea instead of that neat-looking furniture store on Wisconsin Ave in Glover Park.
And now to open the inevitable can o' worms: what do people on here think of Target opening up i Columbia Heights? Assuming it happens in our lifetimes, of course. I personally look forward to it. I go out to Target anyway for toilet paper and cat litter; it would certainly be more convenient to have it four blocks away.
I agree about Target - it's a shame, but since I'm already driving to Virginia to buy dog food, I'd rather keep the money in DC. However, I strongly support buyindie's mission - whenever I'm in New York or San Fransisco I remember how much I love corner markets, independent coffee shops, and BOOK STORES that carry specialty books. Here's to supporting those businesses wherever we can find them.
I wonder, though, about the line that divides indies from faceless chains. The DC area is pretty spread out, geographically, and there are a lot of local chains. I don't necessarily make a distinction between the District, Virginia, and Maryland, but I like it when my money stays local. Consider, for example, My Organic Market, or Luna Grill, or Armand's, or Olsson's ...
It's really tough to draw a line between what is independent and what is a chain. I realized that when I was building this site that there would be some difficult decisions with regards to what places got included.
I finally decided that if a place had less than 4 locations it would make the cut. Places like teaism fall in this category while others, like Olsson's and Firehook, do not. I know it's not perfect, but it's the best way I know of to do it without making this my full-time job..
I agree that at the moment there is no strong reason to visit the site every day, but please keep in mind that this is intended as a resource not a daily-cup-of site. The more people use it the more benefit we will see. Also, it is very accessible via phone-browsers and that could add some use to a segment of people.
Thanks for stopping by the site. I'll do my best to incorporate any suggestions you all have!
Just curious, though--how did you arrive at 4 (and not 5, I mean, or 6)? Was it arbitrary?
I agree with als's point, about places like My Organic Market, which would not be eligible by the standards for this site since it has locations in MD/VA but not DC. I can immediately think of St. Elmo's (in Alexandria), Iota (in Clarendon), and Jammin' Java (in Vienna) as great local businesses in VA not DC.
Seems like yet another case of arbitrary urban snobbery -- it's not like there aren't great independent stores across jurisdictional boundaries here.
I love this idea, and I would use it not just when visiting, but as a way to branch out.
As for mutual advertisement - why the heck not? The bigger boys do it.
As for "arbitrary" urban snobbery - it isn't. It's a site for the city - a category that isn't arbitrary at all. It would be nice to have a similar resource for the burbs, but you can do that with categories or a separate page.
Nice work. I'll be sure to contribute.
Really great idea. My only critique...anyone notice that street addresses are required? It struck me as unfortunate when I saw there was an "artist" section, because most younger artists I know don't have a storefront studio space, and depend on gallery shows or street festivals to connect with their local audience.
I hope everyone going to Target for dog food continues to purchase books, music, clothing, etc. at their local indie businesses.