Locally Owned & Independent Businesses

Locally owned businesses reinvest in the local economy at a 60% higher rate than chain and internet retailers. 

In the News from SFLOMA

New Report Provides Further Analysis of Amazon’s Negative Impact

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) has recently published a comprehensive analysis on the negative impact of Amazon’s expansion and growing power. The report, “Amazon’s Stranglehold: How the Company’s Tightening Grip is Stifling Competition, Eroding Jobs, and Threatening Communities,” provides in-depth details on how Amazon is monopolizing the economy, undermining job growth, and weakening communities — and what can be done to address the online retailer’s dominance across a growing number of marketplaces. 

The ILSR report is organized into four main sections:

In the first section, Monopolizing the Economy, we look at how Amazon is using its market power to eliminate competition and take control of one industry after another, leaving us with an economy that is less diverse and innovative, and which affords fewer opportunities for businesses to start and grow.

In the second section, Undermining Jobs and Wages, we examine Amazon’s labor model and find that work inside its 190 distribution facilities resembles labor’s distant past more than a promising future, with many workers performing grueling and under-paid jobs, getting trapped in precarious temporary positions, or doing on-demand assignments that are paid by the piece.

In the third section, Weakening Communities, we explore how Amazon is upending the longstanding relationship between commerce and place, changing the way that our communities feel and threatening the revenue streams and social capital that they depend on to function.

In the final section, The Policy Response to Amazon, we begin by looking at how Amazon’s rise has been heavily assisted by government support, including subsidies and tax advantages worth billions of dollars.

And finally, we turn to what to do about it, sketching the steps policymakers should take to check the company’s power and bring about a more competitive and equitable economy.

A 10% shift in consumer spending from chains and Internet to locally owned retail, would create nearly 1300 new jobs and over $190 million in increased economic output for San Francisco.

Customers don't have to spend more, just spend differently.

Who we are

SFLOMA was founded by a group of merchants from locally owned businesses. We currently have over 200 members representing a wide range of retail and service categories. Not only are our businesses knowledgeable, competitive, quirky, , friendly, unique, and creative, we support other local businesses and services, as well as schools, charities, non-profits, and more.

Locally owned merchants in San Francisco have significant strength in several retail categories, and their contributions to the economy of the city are substantial. They also provide incredible retail diversity and local charm, two reasons so many people want to live and visit here. 

why local

When YOU shop at your locally owned businesses, you're supporting the local economy. 

It’s a simple fact: for every $100 spent, locally owned independent businesses generate $68 in local economic activity. National chains generate only $43. And out-of-state online sellers who don't collect sales tax are virtually a total drain on the local economy.

So when you spend your hard-earned money here, it stays here, supporting locally owned businesses, city neighborhoods and services, and enhancing the quality of life in San Francisco.