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Waltham Local First is a nonprofit network of independent, locally owned businesses

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Membership

Waltham Local First welcomes you! Membership starts at the following three levels:

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Waltham Loves Food

Thank you for participating in#WalthamLovesFood We finished the spring 2021 contest Check

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Contact

info@walthamlocalfirst.org (781) 530-4814 Waltham Local FirstP.O. Box 540293Waltham, MA 02454 Follow us

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Member Profile: Dinny Myerson – Gourmet Pottery

December 4, 2016
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 |  Categories: Member Profiles, Members

Business: Gourmet Pottery Owner: Dinny Myerson Address: 365 Moody Street, Waltham [caption id="attachment_656" align="alignright" width="225"] Dinny Myerson, owner of Gourmet Pottery located at 365 Moody Street in Waltham[/caption] PROFILE: What inspired you to open your business? I was a potter for about thirty years and, when I had been working in various independent studios for ten years or so, I lost a location I had been working in a warehouse and I realized that I was too isolated being an...

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Small Business Saturday is November 26th

November 25, 2016
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 |  Categories: Commentary, News, The Localist Movement

by Aravinda Ananda Waltham Local First Co-Founder & Treasurer The holiday shopping season is upon us! Surely everyone knows about Black Friday when major retailers offer blockbuster sales. But does everyone know about Small Business Saturday? It is happening this year on November 26 and is a day to show some love to some of the many wonderful small, local businesses right here in Waltham that offer some unique finds and excellent gifts for the holiday season. Launched in November...

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On Localism and Liquor Licenses

July 18, 2016
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 |  Categories: Commentary, News, The Localist Movement

It's not just the weather: The topic of liquor licenses has been hot in Waltham of late. Our community has been processing two separate but related issues. The first issue remains before the Licenses and Franchises committee of the Waltham City Council, currently on summer recess. The matter they're wrestling with has at least three parts (1) whether there should be more liquor licenses in Waltham, (2) if so, how many, and (3) and how should they be distributed. We have no hard...

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Commentary: Farewell to a Founding Member, and a piece of Waltham’s heart

August 13, 2015
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 |  Categories: Commentary, News

by Bob Perry, Waltham Local First Co-Chair This hurts. Back Pages Books on Moody Street—one of the founding members of Waltham Local First—closed this week. Back Pages' Owner Alex Green quoted a friend in his eloquent farewell posted on the store's website, saying "nobody is surprised when you close a bookstore, they're surprised when you open one." Well, as a long-time small-businessperson myself, I am not surprised, but I am stunned. Back Pages Books was a cultural anchor in Waltham, a...

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Member Profile: Stephen Bernardi – Johnson Compounding & Wellness

January 12, 2015
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 |  Categories: Member Profiles, Members, News

Johnson Compounding & Wellness has been operating in Waltham since 1852(!), and Steve and Diane Bernardi are only the third family to own the business in its 162+ year history. To help us all get acquainted with Steve and his remarkable business, we asked him a few questions: What inspired you to buy Johnson Compounding & Wellness? We were inspired to buy our business because, as pharmacists/employees of other pharmacies, we were unable to practice our profession the way we believed...

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Welcome!

November 24, 2014
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 |  Categories: Members, Sponsors, The Localist Movement

Waltham Local First exists to: PROMOTE Independent, Locally Owned Businesses in Waltham, Massachusetts GROW Waltham's local economy, and CELEBRATE Waltham's unique and vibrant community. Learn more on our ABOUT page. FIND A WALTHAM BUSINESS that is Independent, and Locally Owned. See what's coming up on our EVENTS CALENDAR! Follow Waltham Local First on FACEBOOK and on TWITTER! Want to reach us? Visit our CONTACT page for the many ways.  THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO OUR SPONSORING MEMBERS:                              ...

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Small Business Saturday 2014

November 24, 2014
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 |  Categories: Members, News

This Saturday, November 29th is Small Business Saturday! The vast majority of our members are small businesses.  As such, this new American tradition—following hot on the heels of Black Friday that seems to be a big box storapalooza—Small Business Saturday is an important calendar landmark for our member retailers. We've put together the following alphabetical list of promotions that we know our members are running this Saturday. We encourage you to take part in the festivities and patronize as many as...

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2014 Independent Business Survey

August 23, 2014
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 |  Categories: The Localist Movement

The following summary extract from the 2014 Independent Business Survey summarizes the fundamental reason we exist as an organization: "The Local First movement is influencing buying habits. A large majority of businesses located in cities with an active Local First campaign reported that the initiatives had brought in new customers and/or generated other specific benefits. These businesses experienced revenue growth of 7.0% in 2013, compared to 2.3% for those in places without such an initiative." Published in February 2014 by...

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Waltham Farmers’ Market – Welcome, and Welcome Back!

June 13, 2014
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 |  Categories: Members, News

Tomorrow's the big day, the day of the 2014 season for Waltham Farmers' Market! Yay! We want to welcome Waltham Farmers' Market as one of the newest members of Waltham Local First. If there were ever an archetypal entity that represents "Local First," it's a farmers' market. We also want to welcome Waltham Farmers' Market BACK, after the long, cold winter. —No doubt restarting each spring is always challenging, but we suspect this off-season was particularly challenging for their organizers, because...

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