I’m going to interrupt my writing on Springfield (a few drafts in the works right now) to announce that I’m volunteering to start a business alliance for locally owned Ipswich based businesses.

As anyone who has read anything on this blog before, they would know that I love the Top of Town. It may not seem like much to locals, but it has the bones to be something great. As such, I have been speaking with business owners in Central Ipswich about the challenges they face operating an urban business in a very suburban (and becoming more automobile-centric) city.

The overall result is that I, along with a few business owners, are going to start a Independent Business Alliance for Central Ipswich, tentatively named the Ipswich City Independent Business Alliance, with the overall objective to develop and elevate the profile of the Central Ipswich area through group branding, promotion, advertising, and educational campaigns.

Some questions I have already formed answers for about the group:

How are you defining Central Ipswich?

As of right now we are defining Central Ipswich the same way that Queensland Government Statistician’s Office does. For a map, click here.

What is a Local Independent Business?

A local business is one that is private, community or cooperatively owned, with at least 50% of the ownership living within the Ipswich Local Government Area.

An independent business is one where decision making is controlled completely locally, not remotely. The opposite of an independent business is a formula business, which is a business that has centralised and standardised: services, decor, operational methods, and other features which makes them identical to others. Another name for a formula business is “chain store“.

I love the idea but I don’t run a business… How can I help?

First and foremost, you can strive to support more local business. Instead of buying your office chair at Fantastic Furniture or OfficeWorks, try Butts on Seats! instead of buying a new pot or pan from Target (only to throw it away in 5 months) why not try Gemütlich? And don’t even bother with Coffee Club or Zarraffa’s — we have far too many great coffee shops to list here.

Secondly, you can send me an email (it’s on my about page) and let us know you love the idea! I read everything, and would love to hear some feedback (positive or negative). We may also need some volunteers in the near future, so names on lists are always a good thing.

I own an independent business within the geographic boundaries, what do I need to do to join?

Send me an email at steveosnyder@gmail.com and I’ll get in touch with you about our inaugural meeting, which should be early April!

If you have any other questions that I didn’t address here let me know, and if it’s something I can answer I will do all I can. Either email or comment here.