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May 12, 2008

Local First Movement Finds Fitchburg

Group in Worcester spawned interest north

Kent Bourgault, owner of Shack's Clothes on Main Street in Fitchburg.
Worcester Local First, the organization formed last year to promote locally owned businesses, now has 125 members and expects to break 200 by August, according to co-chair Bill Cavanagh. So it’s not surprising that another Central Massachusetts city is following the organization’s lead.

Fitchburg Local First is just emerging, with half a dozen city business owners now on board. Like the sister group in Worcester, the Fitchburg organization plans to encourage city residents to shop in town, and use tools like Web sites and directories to make it easy for them.

What’s Downtown


Kent Bourgault, owner of Shack’s Clothes on Main Street, and one of the group’s founding members, said it’s important to make people aware of the resources in Fitchburg. People complain that there’s no Starbucks in the city, he said, but many don’t realize that Main Street jeweler Duvarny & Co. is one of the few Rolex dealers in Central and Western Massachusetts.

“Rolex is a lot more impressive to people than having a Starbucks on Main Street,” he said.

Bourgault said the group is now taking its first baby steps, recruiting more steering committee members, opening a checking account and starting a web site.

Bourgault said part of the appeal of this type of organization is its ability to remind people of the local stores in their midst. No matter how good the clothes are, he said, Shack’s can’t compete with Macys when it comes to advertising.

“Sometimes I think people forget we’re here,” he said.

But if you think to do it, it’s not that hard to buy locally, Bourgault said. He said his own mortgage and insurance companies, bank, and even dentist are all on Main Street.

Cavanagh said that in the short time he’s helped get Worcester Local First going he’s already increased his patronage of local companies, simply because he has a better idea of who has a business in the city.

“Now I know them, I have a relationship with them, and I want to see their businesses succeed,” he said.

Bourgault said he thinks the Local First model is applicable to many communities and has already approached Fitchburg’s southern neighbor about the idea.

“I’d like to see a Leominster, and a Fitchburg group, both supporting the same goals,” he said.                 

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