This column appears in Foster’s Daily Democrat and the Tuskegee News. This week Guy Trammell, an African American man from Tuskegee, Ala., and Amy Miller, a white woman from South Berwick, Maine, write about what local independent stores mean to a community.

By Amy Miller

Last week my brother gave me a $10 incentive to buy the new hardcover book I wanted at an independent store rather than online for less money.

He wanted to put his money where his mouth is and wanted to help me do so too. I bought the book for $29.95 at a bookstore owned by a Maine family in a beautiful coastal town. It was a treat just to wander in the aisles after getting a coffee at the attached cafe.

The reasons for avoiding big box stores and huge online sellers can be numerous. But one of the top reasons is to s

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