1. Improve your local economy

Chances are that the small businesses you are patronizing are owned by someone who lives in your community. This means that the money you spend locally will get filtered back in your local economy. And even if you are buying online, you are still creating a ripple effect through another community.

2. Create Jobs

Over the past two decades, small businesses have generated around 65% of new jobs. If independents regained their 1990 market shares, entrepreneurs could create 200,000 new small businesses, generate about $ 300 billion in revenue in the retail and restaurant sectors, and employ more than 1.6 million American workers.

3. Enrich your Community

Nobody wants to live in a neighborhood that lacks a small business culture. While franchises and national chain stores play a role in the national economy, we all know that small businesses provide an undeniable vibrancy and sentiment vital to community life. Many people believe that small businesses are not just the economic but also the social heartbeat of America.

4. Personalized Experience

Shopping at small local businesses always offers a personal and sincere customer-owner interaction, impossible to replicate with large-scale vendors. Small business shop owners are interested in their clients, know their wants and needs, and are willing to give their customer personal attention to answer questions about their products. Furthermore, a small business owner is passionately and inextricably linked to the success of his or her business, which means they are experts on the product that they create and sell.

5. Original, Handmade Gifts

If you like to give original, handmade gifts, you can’t beat shopping at a locally owned business. Small businesses are commonly thought of as trend setters – paving the way for their larger scale counterparts with an unbridled imagination and vision. Also, small businesses usually do not have to scale their product for a mass market, which ensures high craftsmanship and originality.

To buy local, visit your local store, view our client directory map, or buy online at our Holiday Marketplace: www.accionusa.org/marketplace

Festival Fete’s Holiday Market embodies the spirit of small business, as an event featuring locally grown food, art and products from talented individuals across New England. The Holiday Market will include over 100 Contemporary American Craft artists, strolling entertainment, a farmers market, and children’s crafts and entertainment. The market is a 2-day extravaganza, taking place over Thanksgiving weekend (November 25^th and 26^th) at the Rhode Island Convention Center, 11am to 6pm daily. For entrepreneurs who are participating in the fair, we’d love to have you attend our credit seminar on November 26^th just before the fair begins at 11am. Don’t worry if you can’t make it, you can find ACCION USA at booth 223 – stop by and say hello!

Try a spooky Halloween Brownie Pop from The Chocolate Swirl

“When the economy tanked, two of my jobs were taken away. So I thought, it’s time to start my own,” reminisces Lisa Braciligiano, owner of The Chocolate Swirl. Lisa started off working as a theatrical stage manager. On opening night, everyone would show the cast with lavish gifts. “I was an intern, and not getting paid,” explains Lisa. “I was broke. So I made my own gifts.” Lisa started with a truffle, and would bring different chocolate desserts each time. “Everyone loved them. They kept telling me that I should sell them.”

After her exploits in theater, Lisa decided to attend culinary school. After she graduated, she was working multiple jobs as a pastry chef and at restaurants. It was a result of losing her job that prompted her to start her business. With an $8,000 loan from ACCION USA, Lisa was able to continue to rent kitchen space as well as increase her marketing.

Warm up your evening with a Dark ‘n’ Stormy cocktail with locally made ginger syrup from Morris Kitchens!

NYC foodie Kari Morris started Morris Kitchen, a local ginger syrup manufacturer, over 2 years ago with her brother Tyler.  Coming from a family of gourmands, Kari and Tyler’s decision to be food and beverage entrepreneurs came as no surprise. Kari brings 10 years of experience in fine foods to her business and has acquired a host of very well known clients to sell her product. “October-December are very busy months. I’ve already been contacted by various magazine to feature my syrup as a Holiday To buy item,” Kari explains.A $9,000 loan from ACCION USA helped Kari increase production for the busy holiday season, as well as to purchase labels for new products and cover design costs.

How do her customers enjoy Kari’s ginger syrup, you might ask? According to an interview, “the syrup is delicious mixed with seltzer for fresh ginger ale, drizzled over ice cream, or used in one of the entree or dessert recipes posted on their website,” which also shares recipes for seasonal cocktails.

Try a LifeField Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookie. They go perfect with a cup of hot chocolate on a crisp autumn day.

A New York City native, Rhoda Plotkin’s business idea came about from a series of serendipitous interactions. Rhoda recounts her friend needing a USA-based contact 9 years ago to import high volumes of select Russian buckwheat. Realizing a lucrative market opportunity for this nutrient packed herb that can be used as a flour substitute for millions of gluten-free Americans, Rhoda decided to take a leap of faith by assuming the role as receiving link. Rhoda collaborated with her baker friend to develop a product line that would incorporate buckwheat, confident that baked goods would not be difficult to sell. “Once I got started, I just kept going,” Rhoda reflects, remembering being swept away with the excitement of entrepreneurship. “Creation is an exciting thing. Day-to-day office work can be dull and mundane but there is something thrilling about taking a risk to create something new,” Rhoda said.

However, Rhoda needed capital to purchase equipment, rent our warehouse space and import buckwheat in bulk but had no leverage with a commercial bank as a new entrepreneur requesting a loan for under $100,000. “It’s very difficult to get a commercial loan these days. Even people with good credit history can’t get a loan,” Rhoda explained. With Rhoda’s first ACCION USA loan for $5,000, Rhoda was able to expand her business by purchasing 35,000 pounds of buckwheat and securing additional warehouse space. LifeField Buckwheat has expanded to offer an array of buckwheat-based products available online and in select stores, from LifeField Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies to LifeField Pancake and Waffle Mix.

Take a walk on the wild side and spice it up with a guajillo and aji amarillo chile infused chocolate bar from Raaka Chocolates.

Ryan Cheney was living in a monastery in Thailand when he first tried the local organic chocolate that would inspire him to start his own chocolate company. When Ryan returned to the U.S. he created Raaka Chocolate and immediately developed relationships with farms in Dominican Republic and Bolivia to import free-trade, organic cacao. Ryan then started creating different flavor chocolates (Dark w/ Sea Salt, Blueberry Lavender, Hazelnut and Vanilla Rooibos) in his own home and sold at farmers markets to family and friends. Ryan didn’t expect his business to be a growing success but as the demand for his chocolate grew he knew he needed to find capital to expand.

With an ACCION USA loan for $20,000, Ryan was able to grow Raaka Chocolate by purchasing inventory, packaging supplies and also paying vending fees at Union Square and Columbus Circle markets. Today, Ryan has two employees, sells chocolate to over 17 stores in Manhattan, a store in Portland, Oregon and to customers all over the country through online sales.

Natasha Wozniak Designs, Natasha Wozniak

Natasha began working as an artist at fifteen, and her passion for design has been a journey ever since. From this early age, she knew she wanted to work in metal, and learned the art through a variety of sources, from university schooling in Wisconsin to field work in Nepal alongside Buddhist statuary makers. Natasha began her career in jewelry as a bench jeweler in New York, churning out rings and earrings by the hundreds and thousands for various designers. After gaining the necessary industry experience, Natasha decided to work independently, designing and creating her hand-fabricated jewelry collection in her own studio. Natasha now sets her own schedule and designs her own pieces, among them unique engagement rings, work for select galleries, and new wall pieces.

Her entrepreneurial spirit and uniquely-crafted pieces have brought Natasha nationwide success. She travels all over the country for jewelry and design shows, and her work is now displayed in galleries in multiple states. However, in early 2010, Natasha needed help straightening out her finances, but couldn’t get a traditional bank loan. She found ACCION USA online, and applied for an ACCION USA loan via our online platform. She was quickly approved for a loan of $5,000, and is now working closely with ACCION USA to get the business side of her artistic passion on track.

To take a look at Natasha’s work and make purchases, visit her website at www.natashajewelry.com.

Sandra Baquero, Sandra Nieto

Sandra is an up and coming fashion designer in New York who hails from Colombia, and brings a Latin American sense of style to her popular handmade designs. Fashion is a difficult and time-consuming field, but Sandra is so passionate about design that she is willing to persevere through hardship. She has worked her way up in New York – and is now featured in several Manhattan boutiques, and has her own online shop.

However, times got tough for Sandra and her family when the recession hit, her husband lost his job, and Sandra became the sole supporter of her family, unfortunately this meant that she could not save enough money to pay entrance to various New York trade shows in Bryant Park and Madison Square Park, a major source of income for Sandra. She started looking for a loan to cover the costs, but had difficulty obtaining a loan from a bank. She discovered ACCION USA at a panel discussion at the Colombian Consul in April of 2010. ACCION USA gave Sandra a $6,000 loan that would cover the fees to participate in annual trade shows.

Thanks to the boost ACCION USA gave to Sandra, her business has become very successful, she is now so busy that she has hired  two part-time seamstresses to help prepare for the busy trade show season.  Take a look at Sandra’s line at www.sandrabaquero.com/ or shop for her clothing on Etsy.

Cousin & Co., Undra Duncan and Shekima Francois

Cousins Shekima and Undra started out by making their own purses to wear to parties. After they got enough attention from other people, they decided to make it into a business. Undra remembers in 2004 when they bought some leather and tried to find a sample maker to take them seriously. They had been trying to a get a loan from a bank, but they found it to be very difficult. “When ACCION USA gave us the opportunity, we were like ‘wow, they’re actually taking a risk with us.’” Cousin & Co. has had two loans with ACCION USA and is currently supported by the Tory Burch Foundation.

Watch an interview with Shekima, Undra, & Tory Burch. To shop for Cousin & Co handbags visit: www.cousinandco.com

Overall Baby, Jenny Kim

Imagine that if as a kid you could have your favorite pair of overalls redone with a more interesting fabric. That’s what Jenny Kim did. During college, Jenny began fascinated with overalls while she worked for a clothing line that featured workwear items for children. After pursuing other interests, she returned to her fascination with overalls in 2006. Jenny explains that, “Overalls are a very practical purchase for parents because the adjustable straps make it easy for children to grow into and extend the life of its wear.”

Jenny started selling her brand of overalls on Etsy.com, an online community of buyers and sellers for handmade crafts. Her overalls are now available in stores nationwide, and even internationally in Australia, Canada, Italy, and Indonesia.  In order to keep up her high selling inventory, Jenny approached ACCION USA for a loan. Overall Baby is now ready for the holiday season.

In need of a baby gift or just want to live vicariously through these adorable items? Visit Jenny’s website at www.overallbaby.com

Karisma, Arlyn Zacarías

As a single mother, Arlyn has always loved the flexibility of working for herself, even when she lived in her home country of the Dominican Republic she used her entrepreneurial spirit to make a living . In the United States Arlyn started making money by shopping for discounted clothes at the Macy’s in Manhattan and selling it door to door in the Bronx. Little by little her business started growing and in October 2008 Arlyn was able to save up enough to open her own boutique in the Bronx called “Karisma.”

Arlyn’s boutique has a nice variety of women’s clothes handbags, shoes, and custom jewelry, but unfortunately that wasn’t always the case. In 2010 Arlyn was having a hard time getting enough inventory for her store, she needed a loan to make a bigger purchase and fill up her store. As a new immigrant, Arlyn had very little credit, so banks were not ever an option, luckily one of her friends had heard about ACCION USA, a local non-profit organization that spoke her language and was able to help those with younger credit histories.  Arlyn met with her loan consultant (Evelyn) and together figured out a loan amount she could take on without putting herself in debt. A couple of weeks later, Arlyn received a $6000 loan and thanks to that she was able to but the current beautiful and fashionable items that fill her store today.

Visit Arlyn’ store in the Bronx: 1343 Ogden Ave, New York, NY 10452

hand paintings at Dardanel

New York is unrivaled when it comes to the diverse selection of superb food outings and eateries.  No other area in the United States dares packs as many crafted restaurants of iron caliber in one dense footage as Manhattan.  This is all the more why we often forget that each individual restaurant tells a story.  On an unassuming corner of 58th street and 1st avenue, Dardanel may at first appear to be one of the many Midtown restaurants that serve small tapas style portions of unbelievably delicious Mediterranean fare.  Yet what the food or decor does not tell, the spirit of the hardworking staff does.

The ACCION USA Microfinance Council and friends arrived for a group outing. The restaurant is tastefully decorated true to the Mediterranean senses of a breezy summer’s wind.  There is a fresh fish display at the front that immediately draws you in, and inside is a time portal that shuns the outside world of hackneyed modernity.  With string music and murals that extend a panoramic scene of Bodrum, Dardanel showcases what seldom money alone can accomplish: a sense of belonging in a story to be told, a neighborhood experience to be shared.

Besides the great selection of Turkish wines, the newest region of trendy vinoculture, the fish are selected and directly from the Mediterranean.  Ranging from Branzini to Dorado, grilled to fried, every palate is covered in their generous and customizable selections.  This is no surprise, for Eddie is a seasoned restaurant entrepreneur.  He, like many others, have learned from his past mistakes to build a sustainable positive cashflow business model in his life calling to share his hometown Turkish delicacies. Food and beverage ventures often face trouble finding financing from conventional lenders because their business is innately risky.  When Eddie was refused several times from major commercial banks , he turned towards ACCION USA for help.  Because ACCION USA is a non-profit microlender that works one-on-one with each client, giving many aspirers like Eddie a chance in his aspiring business, his dream was bolstered.

Eddie shares with us his past successes and failures and then his undying vision to expand his franchise.  He shares his strategic and tactical concerns over the dining party, from the width of the restaurant foyer, to the size of his restaurant entrance’s ability to sync more eye contact. As the Council discussed our upcoming events and volunteer projects to be managed, it was heart warming to know that our work is directly benefiting people like Eddie and many more.  At the end of the night, we asked Eddie about how he attained the colorful panoramic landscape painting that spans the restaurant, which is difficult to explain unless you visit the restaurant yourself.  He shared with us that his local entrepreneur friend, who is also an aspiring painter, was commissioned to depict something that he and only his friend could have known of from back home.

It is often difficult to think about supply-side economics when the notion of capital is not nearly as sizable as the Federal Bank’s balance sheets, but in my heart I was glad to see the impact one loan extends beyond the traditional scope of scalability that I have statically assumed before.  I walked away from the night, confirming the true impact that microfinance makes in the United States, especially in an unlikely Manhattan, and knew that it was not only my responsibility but my privilege to continue giving back.

Talk about sticking with something you love – Anne Mironchik has been playing music for over 30 years! After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in 1988, Anne started teaching music to help support herself as she pursued her music career. She recently released a new album entitled Cookin in the Kitchen which includes her original work as well as the jazz standard “Laura” by Johnny Mercer. She was selected as a finalist with the UniSong International, which dubbed the demo version of Cookin’ in the Kitchen “…a juggernaut of a song!”

Anne runs her own production company, through which she released her most recent album. Anne’s loan from ACCION USA helped her with the production of this album. She also provides consulting and administrative assistance to two companies on a regular basis. Anne has recently started studying with jazz piano great, Mike Longo, and has really started to work on becoming a mature, accomplished jazz performer.

Celebrate small business week and check out Anne’s website to check out her music. Also don’t miss the chance to meet Anne Mironchik during the client tour at the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference on May 23 and 24th!

What would make a man give up a Harvard Degree to run a small restaurant in the heart of East Harlem? Jorge Ayala purchased his current restaurant in 1996 because he could not watch this place of gathering for Puerto Ricans close down. His restaurant, La Fonda Boricua, has turned into a successful hub for Puerto Rican culture, music, and art.

Jorge approached ACCION USA for a loan in order to expand his restaurant to meet the increasing amount of customers. He was denied by other banks due to such a short credit history in the United States. Thanks to his effort and the ACCION USA loan, La Fonda Boricua has now become the hub he always dreamed of. “With the loan, we’ve tripled the seating and doubled our sales” says Jorge “Now I’m able to host frequent art shows and musical performances, accompanied with traditional authentic Puerto Rican meals that makes us so special.”

Celebrate small business week and visit La Fonda Boricua on E 106th St. (between Lexington and 3rd). Also don’t miss the chance to meet Jorge Ayala during the client tour at the 2011 Microfinance USA Conference on May 23 and 24th!

By doing so, I hope to plant a seed early in the shopping game: buy local.  Now if you’re a regular local shopper, you don’t need any convincing.  If you buy locally occasionally, you’re probably easily swayed (especially by the mobs at Target and Macy’s!).  But I am particularly encouraging those who don’t fall into either of these categories (and it wasn’t long ago that I myself was in this mix) to simply think about shopping locally this holiday season.

Even if you use this mentality for one gift this year – just one! – you will play a vital role in supporting your neighborhood and the entrepreneurial community across our country.  You will help alleviate the plight of small businesses, recently addressed in a poignant New York Times article.  Part of ACCION’s work is to connect these hard-working entrepreneurs with the resources they need, including capital, financial education, and business mentoring.

How will you choose to shop this holiday season?

Today, we’re connecting them with another resource: you.

And we’re helping you by bringing a little ease and creativity to your holiday shopping!  Here are a few ideas (all inspired by ACCION’s own clients from across the country) to get you started:

10. Pick up a cool piece of vintage clothing for your niece.

9. Save the pet lover in your family the hassle of cleaning the dog.

8. Grab your brother a gift card to a local coffee shop.

7. Extend the gift with a few weeks of housecleaning services.

6. Send personalized and memorable cards to family, friends, and (for you professionals) clients.

5. Treat your mom to a day of pampering.

4. Send tasty ethnic treats to your co-workers and neighbors.

3. Surprise your parents with a full car detail.

2. Buy a bracelet or CD from a foundation that supports ACCION’s clients.

1. Help ACCION continue supporting all of these entrepreneurs by making a donation in someone’s name.

This season has a different meaning to everyone.  For many this is the best time of year; for many it is not.  But the invariable truth remains that shopping locally can serve not only as a present for your loved one, but moreover, a gift for a small business owner.  In many ways, it can be a gift for yourself, as well: the peace of mind knowing that you supported your local community and brought a greater sense of thought, creativity, and care to your purchase.

So, will you consider buying locally this year?

I recently met an ACCION USA client named Maria. The day that I met her, she had just been approved for a loan to purchase more inventory for her NYC Green Cart, where she sells fruits and vegetables in the South Bronx. And just one week prior, Maria had given birth to her third child, who was in her arms while she completed her loan disbursement.

Upon meeting Maria, I immediately connected her business with the mission of many social ventures. And while I’m only beginning to understand the breadth of the conversation surrounding the definition of “social entrepreneurship,” I intuitively feel that all female microentrepreneurs have an inherent social mission. My logic is in part derived from my experiences working in the microfinance field – experiences that have entrenched my belief in localized social change and the positive reverberations that it can cause. I’m now becoming more comfortable defending the belief that all female microentrepreneurs are social entrepreneurs, since well… no one can seem to agree on the correct definition anyway.

So if many female microentrepreneurs don’t intentionally incite a wake of social change, can they still be categorized as social entrepreneurs? Let us know what you think…

Before you check out, "check in" with CauseWorld to earn karmas for ACCION USA.

Calling all iPhone and Android users! Thanks to the generosity of Citi, ACCION USA is now one of just 28 featured charities on the CauseWorld smartphone application.  In a twist on the location-based social networking  craze (think foursquare), CauseWorld’s over 300,000 users collect karmas by using their phones to “check-in” at retail stores, or to scan the bar codes of common retail products.  Users then donate to the cause of their choice these karmas, which become (you guessed it) cold hard cash for their favorite charity.

Just think, you can enable a microloan to a hardworking microentrepreneur right here in the U.S. with every trip down the supermarket aisle. (Go for the Crest Whitestrips.  Biggest karma for your buck.)  All you need to get started is the free app, which is available for download at CauseWorld.com.

You can read more about CauseWorld on the New York Times’ “Bits” technology blog, The Wall Street Journal, and a bunch of other places. Thanks again to Citi and CauseWorld for supporting ACCION USA and U.S. microentrepreneurs.