Curious about the simple message conveyed by those black and white billboards and bus cards?
Quite simply, Keep Louisville Weird is a grassroots public awareness campaign, recently and quietly begun by a small but growing coalition of independent Louisville business owners who are concerned with the spreading homogenization of our hometown.
We're concerned that the proliferation of chain stores and restaurants in Louisville is not only driving the independent business owner out of business, but is also robbing the city of much of its unique charm.
While we don't discount the need for the Wal-Marts of the world, were troubled by the current civic notion that excitement for our town should come from the courting, establishment and promotion of chain stores and restaurants that can be found in many other cities across America.
Louisville is a special place filled with lots of unique things to see and do, interesting places to shop and terrific places to eat and drink that you wont find in any other city in America. Your patronage of these businesses helps Louisville retain its own special flavor.
Not only is a certain amount of civic pride on the line here, a lot of commerce is at stake as well. A recent study in Austin, Texas clearly contrasted the economic impact of money spent at locally-owned independent businesses to that same amount of money spent at chain stores. The percentage of money spent in locally-owned businesses that actually stays in the community is far greater than the percentage of money spent in the national chains. Even minor spending habit changes can contribute millions to the local economy.
