May 7, 2009

Dear BerkShares Businesses,

As we’re faced with an increasingly uncertain economy, more and more
businesses are recognizing BerkShares as an important tool for engendering
community self-reliance. Nearly forty new businesses have signed up this
year alone (newest ones are listed below) – providing 10% more options for
spending BerkShares, and garnering solidarity as we contemplate what goods
and services we can find locally before looking outside the region.

At its current stage of development, BerkShares provides an elegant tool for
prioritizing the local exchange of goods and services. This enables
businesses to build loyalty and increase patronage – especially with
consumers who might have otherwise shopped online, and with businesses that
have BerkShares to recirculate. Some businesses are even adapting the
program to extend even greater benefits to customers who shop locally with
BerkShares.

Last week we mentioned the Bookloft’s generous new offer of an additional 5%
off on all merchandise purchased with BerkShares. You can check out the
Bookloft’s Eric Wicska on CBS supporting BerkShares and quoting George
Bernard Shaw:

http://www.cbs6albany.com/video/?bcpid=1137806146&bclid=1143371293&bctid=223
58600001

This week we are excited to showcase a few other similar promotions from
BerkShares businesses:

Route 7 Grill – 999 South Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-3235
www.route7grill.com
Thursday nights: 10% off food when you pay with BerkShares. That’s right,
come on in with our own local currency and get an extra 10% off food!

Moon in the Pond Farm – 816 Barnum Street, Sheffield, MA 01257
(413) 229-3092
www.mooninthepond.com
Offering 5% off any items – even sale items – when you pay with BerkShares.
If you join their CSA using BerkShares, there are sale items (listed in
their newsletter for 50% off!) on which you’d save an additional 10% for a
total savings of 60%!

Locke Stock and Barrel
265 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-0800
You can pay with BerkShares on all products, all the time, and when you buy
a case of wine you’ll get another 10% off!

Applause and hats off to these businesses for their innovation in helping to
support their businesses – with an eye on community sustainability. This
type of creative enthusiasm is the social capital needed to fuel further
questions and models for local economic development.

What new local production, manufacturing, and jobs do we want to make
possible in the future? What does a new economy look like? The preliminary
groundwork for our new economy begins with the transformation of our most
basic economic transactions. By doing business with BerkShares we help to
cultivate community while building the local economy.

Thank you for your continued commitment to BerkShares.

Best wishes,

The BerkShares Team
P. O. Box 125
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-1737

***New BerkShares Businesses***

Main Streets & Back Roads Magazine
123 Frost Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301
(802) 770-0372
mamsbr@yahoo.com
www.massquarterly.com
We will offer a 25% discount for our summer and fall issues to any
participating BerkShares businesses for the Berkshire edition of Main Streets & Back Roads.