One of the primary complaints by those of us who champion locally owned businesses is the difficulty of finding an independent store for all of our needs. The Tampa Independent Business Alliance's Independents Week Expo attempts to make it easier by putting some of Tampa Bay's favorite homegrown businesses all in one place: Nature's Harvest Market. Along with member booths, TIBA celebrates Independents Week (July 1-7) with a kick-off party featuring a $1 book sale, prizes and free food and drinks. Organizers hope the event prompts you to "put your money where your house is" all year long. Sat., June 30, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 1021 N. MacDill Ave., Tampa, free admission, tibatampa.org.
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2007.