No Title 2801
Supplement to “Shop Local, Buy Local”
Farmers and artisans needed for Green B.E.A.N. Delivery
The Kentucky Main Street Program (www.heritage.ky.gov/mainstreet) is coordinated by the Kentucky Heritage Council and a coordinating partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation�s Main Street Center program. (For info, go to www.preservationnation.org/main-street/about-main-street.)
Begun in 1979 with five founding cities�Winchester, Bowling Green, Frankfort, Maysville, and Georgetown�the Kentucky program now has 72 designated cities from across the state.
�Currently we�re not accepting additional programs because of state budget cuts,� says Becky Gorman, Main Street Program coordinator with the Kentucky Heritage Council. �We are focusing our efforts on serving all the programs we have currently enrolled in the program to the best of our abilities.�
This past holiday season, the Kentucky Main Street Program developed a coordinated statewide marketing campaign for local programs whose logo�a downtown scene in a snow globe�reminded patrons to �Shop Local. Shop Independent.�
The Kentucky Main Street Program works with local Main Street programs, chambers of commerce, tourism offices, and volunteer Main Street program boards to promote and implement the Main Street Four-Point Approach, an economic development tool trademarked by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that encourages downtowns to �revitalize their districts by leveraging local assets�from cultural or architectural heritage to local enterprises and community pride.�
The Four-Point Approach calls for 1) organization; 2) promotion; 3) design; and 4) economic restructuring.
Much of the work of Kentucky Main Street and its programs involves simply educating the public about what it means to �shop local� and support independently owned businesses.
Karen Keown, economic development coordinator for the Kentucky Heritage Council, says there�s still some misconception that �Buy Local� simply means shopping at your hometown Walmart rather than the one in the next county.
�We want to help educate citizens and help cities establish a unified marketing image for their Main Street revitalization efforts,� Keown says, which is why the holiday marketing campaign was so important. �We want to help cities take the assets they have in their downtowns and add that value-added component to their economies. It makes downtown a destination, and people can resonate toward that.�
Farmers and artisans needed for Green B.E.A.N. Delivery
Green B.E.A.N. Delivery is an online home delivery service that provides organic produce and natural groceries to metro Louisville and surrounding area residents.
The company provides its members a connection to many Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio farmers and artisans.
Green B.E.A.N. Delivery�s Kentucky farmer partners include:
� Ashbourne Farms, LaGrange
� Elmwood Stock Farm, Georgetown
� Foxhollow Farm, Crestwood
� Kentucky Bison Company, Goshen
� Abell Organics, Lexington
� Marksbury Farm Market, Lancaster
The company�s Kentucky artisan partners include:
� Blue Dog Bakery, Louisville
� Bourbon Barrel Foods, Louisville
� Vine Coffee, Louisville
� Lotsa Pasta, Louisville
� McCabe�s Granola, Covington
� Najla�s, Louisville
� Nancy�s Bagels, Louisville
� Red Hot Roasters, Louisville
� Roobiee Red Tea, Louisville
� Weisenberger Mills, Midway
Consumers in metro Louisville can get started by going to the Web site and creating an online order, which consists of the produce bin of their choice and delivery frequency (weekly or biweekly). Each produce bin is 100 percent customizable, and local dairy, meats, bread, and other grocery products can be added.
Green B.E.A.N. Delivery is always looking for new additions to its network of local vendors. Interested farmers and artisans can e-mail info@greenbeankentucky.com, call (502) 587-8998, or visit online at www.greenbeandelivery.com to learn more.
To read the January 2012 feature that goes along with this supplement, go to Shop Local, Buy Local.
