PFE Blog

Heaters, a Grand Rapids-based West Coast psych-rock band, has experienced a steady rise in success experienced by very few. From their humble beginnings in 2013, playing basement shows and churning out material directly onto Bandcamp. Heaters…

LOCAL FIRST STREET PARTY BOASTS WHO’S WHO LINEUP OF WEST MICHIGAN BANDS (more…)

Have  you ever dropped by Grand Rapids local coffee shop Madcap just for the allure of the place? Maybe it was chic architecture or the trendy urbanites behind the counter that caught your attention. Perhaps…

Are you still searching for that perfect Mother’s Day gift? Something that will truly reflect the emotion and personality of your mother? Well, think again. Ball Park Floral & Gifts is your stop for flowers…

Tami VandenBerg, the owner of the The Meanwhile, The Pyramid Scheme and executive director of the Well House, has always put community first. As she explained at the second annual INsight Conference, her first business…

What does it mean to be diverse? Inclusive? Are these the same as having equity in your workplace? And what exactly does equity mean? These are all questions that the Local First team has begun…

Thank you to guest blogger Rachelle Bostwick for writing this post. (more…)

The Advocates for Independent Business (AIB) and the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) teamed up to create a survey that would test the waters across the nation in regards to the effects that local…

Local First’s INsight Conference is back. (more…)

Our MI Curious project is a news experiment where you submit the questions – your questions are put up for a vote – and we investigate the winning question. (more…)