Vibe-Fall-2024 - Flipbook - Page 30
LOOK for the
BLUE FLAGS
By Lea Camille Smith
SUPPORTING LOCAL WITH THE WHITE MOUNTAIN INDEPENDENTS
T
ake a drive through North Conway
village and you will see blue flags
waving in front of various local businesses. On your way through the door of
those businesses, you’ll read that the flags
encourage you to shop locally on behalf of
the White Mountain Independents (WMI).
WMI is a Mt. Washington Valley nonprofit
established in 2016. They work with local
businesses in the community. Small businesses are important to the Valley, and
WMI is actively fighting for their economic well-being. WMI currently works with
27 local businesses—from flower shops
to small grocery stores, jewelers, and
more. Member businesses are provided
with resources such as networking op30
portunities, small business guidance, and
marketing. Their newsletter and social
media sites offer product and business
highlights as well as upcoming events,
deals, and sales for member businesses.
Jordon Hewson, owner of Designed
Gardens Flower Studio and WMI member, said, “The support that we give one
another is what is most important to me.
The intel on how everyone is doing month
to month is very good knowledge. The
rates for advertising are beyond reasonable. Marketing is instrumental to small
business, and this is a way to achieve that.”
The League of NH Craftsmen Gallery
opened in North Conway in 1932 during
the Great Depression as part of the cot-
tage industries movement, when small
businesses were operating directly out of
homes. For owner Karissa Masse, being
part of WMI is a “perfect fit for our business, directly supporting the local economy and community.” The North Conway
League of NH Craftsmen Gallery is an
independently owned small business
operating as a licensee of the 92-year-old
nonprofit League of NH Craftsmen organization and is dedicated to nurturing,
supporting, and preserving the art of fine
craft making.
White Birch Books owner and WMI
member Laura Cummings echoed that
being part of WMI is important to her
bookshop: “In this group, we are all vastly
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