Shop local.  Buy local.  Stay local. 

We've all heard it, but do we heed it?

Mindy Wallis proves it's possible.  She created the Positive Sum Evanston Coupon Book, filled with savings on local merchants and services in Evanston.  In a recent interview, she explained how the project came about.

About Town:  How did you conceive the idea?

Mindy Wallis:  I had the idea years ago after frustration with schools selling products that I didn't want to support (e.g. gift wrap, cookie dough, Entertainment Books) and watching money leave town. I was toying with the idea of a fair trade fundraising business but that seemed overwhelming, and plenty of people were beginning to get into that space. The final impetus for doing the coupon books was when my husband was one of the 40 staff members laid off by the City of Evanston in February (after working for them for over 20 years). It seemed even more important to help keep money in town (and for me to find another job).

About Town: What was the process like to get it from idea to finished product?

Wallis: Since I'd been thinking about it for a long time, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do. The model similar to the Entertainment Book - a coupon book sold by schools and other non-profits for fundraising - but unlike the Entertainment Book, entirely local coupons.  I knew it was important for schools to get a 50% profit, so the pricing model had to support that. I wanted to keep the prices low so that they were affordable, but they had to cover their costs too. I got lucky in finding a printer (unfortunately, not local) who was very helpful. (I do hope to have the next book printed in or near Evanston.)

I originally planned to create one book sold in the Fall, like the Entertainment Book, but on talking with people I realized that Evanston really has two fundraising seasons - Fall and Spring. So I decided to have two books, one in Sept. and one in March.

I was also lucky in having a lot of support from Carolyn Dellutri and the other staff of Downtown Evanston. I went to her with the idea first and she was very excited about it and did a lot of legwork for me, promoting it to downtown businesses. 
I spent about two months working on selling the concept to the businesses and getting them to buy coupons in the book, and another month working with the printer to get the coupons typeset and printed. 

About Town:  You're an entrepreneur?  Tell me more.

Wallis:  This is it - my entrepreneurial venture. I'd like to build it into a full-time business by adding other communities.

My other job is instructional designer, social media and technology consultant. I'm kind-of a Jack (Jill?) of all trades. Or dilettante. Freelancer. Whatever. I create e-learning courses, help people with their websites or set up e-newsletters, help them manage databases. Stuff like that. 

About Town:  Please send me a digital photo -- I'd love to include it in the post.

Wallis:  You can have the attached Avatar picture that my son made of me. (Out of date, since my hair is now short.) I've also attached my logo and the coupon book cover, if you'd prefer.

About Town:  How long have you been an Evanston resident?

Wallis:  25 years. Came to attend NU, loved it, and never left.

About Town:  Any funny stories or anectdotes from while you were putting this project together?

Wallis: Not a lot of funny stories. The whole process has been a learning experience. 
It was a pleasure going around town and talking with all the merchants and finding out businesses that I never knew existed. Almost everyone I talked to, even the people who turned me down, were pleasant and very supportive of the idea of the book. It really confirmed for me why I live in Evanston. I really hope a lot of people will buy the book and will use the coupons. I think it is very important to support the merchants in town, particularly this first group who really took a leap of faith in placing coupons in a book that was just a notion when I pitched it to them.
The books are great, filled with deals from businesses all over town. No one who has seen one hasn't been excited about it. There really is something for everyone who lives, works and shops in Evanston.

More info, like who is selling the books and the offers in the book, is available on my website: http://www.PositiveSumCommunities.com.