At Lowcountry Local First, we believe local ownership matters. Our goal is to support the local business community and tailor our programs to help our community gain access to every chance at success. That’s why we work with businesses, community members, and policymakers to build support... Continue Reading
New Data: We recently wrapped up our 2024 Member Survey, with more than 60 responses captured. These results help inform our team of what kinds of programming and advocacy efforts matter most to you, and what the community needs at large in order to fulfill our mission. View the summary and key... Continue Reading
Lowcountry Local First has been advocating for stronger, enforced and tracked local preference policies with our local municipalities for more than a decade. In the realm of municipal governance, few policies hold as much potential for catalyzing local economic growth as robust local preference... Continue Reading
Local Level Worth celebrating: The Lowcountry Rapid Transit (LCRT) project recently received a $1.2 million grant from the FTA to advance TOD planning by focusing on the implementation of affordable housing strategies in the project corridor. This grant moves LCRT into Phase 3 of its TOD... Continue Reading
Deep Dive: A Look at the June Primaries & November Elections Depending where you live in SC, you could be voting on June 11 for your next State Senator, Solicitor, Sheriff and more. The below deep dive is being shared via TogetherSC, with permission: This year, all 170 legislator seats... Continue Reading
Below are things you should know or take action on right now as a local-independent business owner or community leader: Local Level Did you see? The City of Charleston has joined the ‘gram. Follow along for updates! Stay up to date with what's happening in the city by signing up here... Continue Reading
Every time a shopper uses a credit card, the merchant pays a fee to process the transaction, commonly known as a swipe fees. Supporters of a bipartisan bill in the US Senate say the bill could help merchants by lowering swipe fees. Continue Reading
Below are things you should know or take action on right now as a local-independent business owner or community leader: Federal Level LLF was proud to be an indie-biz advocacy group to co-host a recent virtual Town Hall with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which recently shared a recap... Continue Reading
Below are things you should know or take action on right now as a local-independent business owner or community leader: Federal Level LLF has been connecting members to Sen Graham’s staff to share stories and the negative impacts of unrestrained and excessive credit card fees on their... Continue Reading
Below are things you should know or take action on right now as a local-independent business owner or community leader: Local Level Updates - We are reigniting our Commercial Space Advising work this year, thanks to a robust group of expert advisors, and hope you’ll help us spread the... Continue Reading
Our 32nd episode of “Small Talks, Big Ideas with Steve” is a live recording of the 2023 North Charleston Mayoral Forum. On September 26, 2023, Lowcountry Local First and community partners AFFA Action, Black Charleston Professionals, Charleston Moves, Hispanic Business... Continue Reading
Below are things you should know or take action on right now as a local-independent business owner or community leader: Things you should attend: Charleston County is hosting two informative webinars to educate the community on the Climate Action Plan and receive feedback around the importance of... Continue Reading
