Lauren Gellatly
@lauren-gellatly.bsky.social
Independent business policy advocate. Antimonopoly movement builder. Localist. On the team at Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Home = Charleston, SC.
NEWSLETTER: https://mailchi.mp/e7e4cd9a7332/hometown-advantage
NEWSLETTER: https://mailchi.mp/e7e4cd9a7332/hometown-advantage
NEWS
1. Today, ILSR filed a motion in federal court to unseal the FTC’s antitrust complaint against PepsiCo. The case bears directly on high grocery prices and food deserts — and would've marked a crucial revival of the long-neglected Robinson-Patman Act. But the public may never get to see it.
August 5, 2025 at 1:13 PM
NEWS
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
OK, this is cute. Even the LLM break-up letter!
"two-day shipping is nice, but I believe more in fair competition, thriving local economies, and a future where no one company controls half the internet and your toothbrush."
"two-day shipping is nice, but I believe more in fair competition, thriving local economies, and a future where no one company controls half the internet and your toothbrush."
For Prime Day: My thoughts on the need to break up with Amazon and BREAK UP Amazon. mailchi.mp/smallbusines...
Amazon, we don’t just need to break up. We need to break YOU up.
mailchi.mp
July 11, 2025 at 3:55 PM
OK, this is cute. Even the LLM break-up letter!
"two-day shipping is nice, but I believe more in fair competition, thriving local economies, and a future where no one company controls half the internet and your toothbrush."
"two-day shipping is nice, but I believe more in fair competition, thriving local economies, and a future where no one company controls half the internet and your toothbrush."
For Prime Day: My thoughts on the need to break up with Amazon and BREAK UP Amazon. mailchi.mp/smallbusines...
Amazon, we don’t just need to break up. We need to break YOU up.
mailchi.mp
July 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
For Prime Day: My thoughts on the need to break up with Amazon and BREAK UP Amazon. mailchi.mp/smallbusines...
Vu: "As loathe as I am to keep bringing up how effective the right-wing has been, we can’t ignore that they have been running circles around the left, and a major reason is because many on the progressive side keep having the same pointless conversations and ignoring the obvious answers."
“6.’How do we tell better stories to engage donors?’ We don’t. Donors need to grow the hell up and stop expecting to be fed palatable narratives about injustice before they’re motivated to do something about it.”
Brutally honest answers to 15 pointless questions our sector keeps asking itself
***Vu’s new book, Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Unlocking the Full Potential of a Vital and Complex Sector, comes out October...
nonprofitaf.com
June 24, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Vu: "As loathe as I am to keep bringing up how effective the right-wing has been, we can’t ignore that they have been running circles around the left, and a major reason is because many on the progressive side keep having the same pointless conversations and ignoring the obvious answers."
Small businesses are bleeding out.
A toy company challenges President Trump’s tariffs before the Supreme Court in a long shot bid for a quick decision.
Toy company challenges Trump’s tariffs before the Supreme Court in long shot bid for quick decision
An Illinois toy company is challenging Donald Trump’s tariffs at the Supreme Court. Learning Resources Inc. filed an appeal asking the Supreme Court to take up the case soon rather than let it continue to play out in lower courts.
bit.ly
June 17, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Small businesses are bleeding out.
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
Essential government services are not optional. What farmers – and all of us – need is not less government, but one that is not controlled by corporations. #dontfailourfarms #defendgovtworkers
Read our full statement here:
nffc.net/statement-us...
Read our full statement here:
nffc.net/statement-us...
April 25, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Essential government services are not optional. What farmers – and all of us – need is not less government, but one that is not controlled by corporations. #dontfailourfarms #defendgovtworkers
Read our full statement here:
nffc.net/statement-us...
Read our full statement here:
nffc.net/statement-us...
I'd probably lead with parks, schools, fire, etc. but this Santa Rosa, CA editorial pins the city’s $20M budget shortfall primarily on residents buying from Amazon instead of from local businesses, noting local shopping generates property, sales tax revenue. www.pressdemocrat.com/article/opin...
PD Editorial: To keep cops on the street, shop local
An increasing share of retail sales occur online, and the taxes aren’t distributed the same way as taxes on sales at brick-and-mortar stores.
www.pressdemocrat.com
June 17, 2025 at 1:20 PM
I'd probably lead with parks, schools, fire, etc. but this Santa Rosa, CA editorial pins the city’s $20M budget shortfall primarily on residents buying from Amazon instead of from local businesses, noting local shopping generates property, sales tax revenue. www.pressdemocrat.com/article/opin...
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
Small businesses — diverse in who owns them and what they stand for — are a democratic bulwark against authoritarianism. Meanwhile, big corporations move in lockstep to support and enable the ruling regime.
"With corporate sponsors retreating ... local businesses are helping to make up some of the shortfall. Many see it as a way of standing up not only for L.G.B.T.Q. people, but also for what the annual celebration means for their local economies." 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️❤️ www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/b...
This Year’s Pride Festivals Are Brought to You by Small Businesses
www.nytimes.com
June 10, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Small businesses — diverse in who owns them and what they stand for — are a democratic bulwark against authoritarianism. Meanwhile, big corporations move in lockstep to support and enable the ruling regime.
"With corporate sponsors retreating ... local businesses are helping to make up some of the shortfall. Many see it as a way of standing up not only for L.G.B.T.Q. people, but also for what the annual celebration means for their local economies." 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️❤️ www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/b...
This Year’s Pride Festivals Are Brought to You by Small Businesses
www.nytimes.com
June 10, 2025 at 12:18 PM
"With corporate sponsors retreating ... local businesses are helping to make up some of the shortfall. Many see it as a way of standing up not only for L.G.B.T.Q. people, but also for what the annual celebration means for their local economies." 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️❤️ www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/b...
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
The FTC just voted 3-0 to drop this case — that's effectively an endorsement of the predatory tactics Walmart uses to crush local grocery sores, create food deserts, and drive up prices. This will hit working-class, rural, and Black communities hardest.
1. Big news! The FTC took action today to end Walmart’s stranglehold on the grocery market. The agency filed suit against Pepsi for giving illegal and unfair price advantages to Walmart while charging competing grocery retailers higher prices.
Stacy Mitchell Statement on the FTC’s Action Against PepsiCo for Rigging Soft Drink Competition
"Much of Walmart’s market dominance can be attributed to its use of this illegal and anti-competitive tactic," says Stacy Mitchell
ilsr.org
May 22, 2025 at 8:56 PM
The FTC just voted 3-0 to drop this case — that's effectively an endorsement of the predatory tactics Walmart uses to crush local grocery sores, create food deserts, and drive up prices. This will hit working-class, rural, and Black communities hardest.
NEW: Happy zine release day to my brilliant colleague @ronmknox.bsky.social! The storytelling and practical tips in "Resist Monopolies" make me want to grab a copy for everyone in my life. Thanks for demystifying this topic.
7. Anyway, here’s the zine: Resist Monopolies! Is out now from my great friends at @microcosm.bsky.social. Check it out:
microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zine...
microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zine...
Resist Monopolies!: How to Fight Corporate Control and Support an Economy That Matters
What can we do to resist monopolies in a world that tells us they’re too big to fail and too strong to fight? We take them on anyway! From vacant downtowns to...
microcosmpublishing.com
May 1, 2025 at 1:42 PM
NEW: Happy zine release day to my brilliant colleague @ronmknox.bsky.social! The storytelling and practical tips in "Resist Monopolies" make me want to grab a copy for everyone in my life. Thanks for demystifying this topic.
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
NEW: Farmers are dying by suicide at the third-highest rate by vocation in Utah.
But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.
By @jessicamiller.bsky.social, with @sltrib.com
But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.
By @jessicamiller.bsky.social, with @sltrib.com
Utah Farmers Signed Up for Federally Funded Therapy. Then the Money Stopped.
Farmers are dying by suicide at the third-highest rate by vocation in Utah. But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.
www.propublica.org
April 30, 2025 at 12:03 PM
NEW: Farmers are dying by suicide at the third-highest rate by vocation in Utah.
But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.
By @jessicamiller.bsky.social, with @sltrib.com
But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.
By @jessicamiller.bsky.social, with @sltrib.com
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
"It sends a clear message that nobody is safe, not even judges, if they get in the way of Trump’s deportation machine." prospect.org/blogs-and-ne...
Trump’s War on the Judiciary Escalates
Today on TAP: The FBI has arrested a sitting judge in Wisconsin.
prospect.org
April 25, 2025 at 7:36 PM
"It sends a clear message that nobody is safe, not even judges, if they get in the way of Trump’s deportation machine." prospect.org/blogs-and-ne...
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
I needed to write about something that’s giving me hope, so I wrote about Independent Bookstore Day which is this Saturday. lithub.com/something-go...
Something Good in the World: Let’s Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day This Weekend
I was going to write something else for today’s column, something complain-y but righteous that would allow me to get some stuff off my chest and maybe even get some rage clicks. Shit is bad. But I…
lithub.com
April 24, 2025 at 11:46 AM
I needed to write about something that’s giving me hope, so I wrote about Independent Bookstore Day which is this Saturday. lithub.com/something-go...
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
If policymakers weren't so oriented to big corporations, they might realize that small-scale manufacturing could "ramp up quickly and broadly, as it did in response to COVID-19.” The key to this isn't tariffs, but zoning, low-cost capital, and antitrust.
www.governing.com/management-a...
www.governing.com/management-a...
Our Priority Should Be Small-Scale Manufacturing
Makers of everything from food to hardware to components for bigger companies need a boost, which better state and local policies could provide.
www.governing.com
April 23, 2025 at 12:38 PM
If policymakers weren't so oriented to big corporations, they might realize that small-scale manufacturing could "ramp up quickly and broadly, as it did in response to COVID-19.” The key to this isn't tariffs, but zoning, low-cost capital, and antitrust.
www.governing.com/management-a...
www.governing.com/management-a...
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
I take seriously my duty to protect hardworking Arizonans against abuses of corporate power. Thanks for the shout out, @ronmknox.bsky.social and @ilsr.bsky.social.
Listen to the full episode here: ilsr.org/articles/blp...
youtube.com/shorts/qF84I...
Listen to the full episode here: ilsr.org/articles/blp...
youtube.com/shorts/qF84I...
ILSR Building Local Power Podcast | Attorney General Kris Mayes
YouTube video by Arizona Attorney General's Office
youtube.com
April 23, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I take seriously my duty to protect hardworking Arizonans against abuses of corporate power. Thanks for the shout out, @ronmknox.bsky.social and @ilsr.bsky.social.
Listen to the full episode here: ilsr.org/articles/blp...
youtube.com/shorts/qF84I...
Listen to the full episode here: ilsr.org/articles/blp...
youtube.com/shorts/qF84I...
Must-listen yapping! Two of my all-time favorite antimonopoly advocates in conversation: @ronmknox.bsky.social and @dannycaine.com
I put my yapping skills to good use last week, talking to @dannycaine.com about my origin story, fighting corporate power in the states, and what antimonopoly even means.
ilsr.org/articles/blp...
ilsr.org/articles/blp...
Where Things Are Happening: Ron Knox on the State(s) of Antitrust - Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Ron Knox joins the Building Local Power podcast to share his reflections on the antimonopoly movement and the importance of states in the antitrust fight
ilsr.org
April 22, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Must-listen yapping! Two of my all-time favorite antimonopoly advocates in conversation: @ronmknox.bsky.social and @dannycaine.com
Very subtle move, Am*zon — holding a week long "Book Sale" at the same time as Indie Bookstore Day (April 26th). 🙄 FOLLOW @americanbookseller.bsky.social for the resistance! #BookstoreSpiritWeek #IndieBookstoreDay
April 21, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Very subtle move, Am*zon — holding a week long "Book Sale" at the same time as Indie Bookstore Day (April 26th). 🙄 FOLLOW @americanbookseller.bsky.social for the resistance! #BookstoreSpiritWeek #IndieBookstoreDay
The tariffs will disproportionately harm small businesses, while the biggest corporations will further entrench their monopoly power.
1. Walmart is set to be a big winner from Trump’s tariffs. It will gain even more market share, despite relying heavily on China imports. It will do this by flexing its power over suppliers — insisting that they give it deals while shifting the tariff costs onto other retailers.
April 18, 2025 at 2:09 PM
The tariffs will disproportionately harm small businesses, while the biggest corporations will further entrench their monopoly power.
HUGE win for independent pharmacies and the communities they serve. Congrats to NCPA and all the pharmacists who fought for this.
p.s. it's a great day to move your Rx to an indie pharmacy in your town. I moved my family with one phone call. NCPA indie pharmacy locator: ncpa.org/pharmacy-loc...
p.s. it's a great day to move your Rx to an indie pharmacy in your town. I moved my family with one phone call. NCPA indie pharmacy locator: ncpa.org/pharmacy-loc...
Great news for independent pharmacies — Arkansas has passed legislation banning PBMs from operating pharmacies in the state. It means CVS can't use its power as a PBM to steer patients to its stores. It's a form of breakup.
Arkansas governor signs legislation banning PBMs from simultaneously owning pharmacies
Gov. Sanders signed HB1150 into law on Wednesday, which would ban pharmacy benefit managers in Arkansas from engaging in anticompetitive practices.
www.thv11.com
April 18, 2025 at 2:02 PM
HUGE win for independent pharmacies and the communities they serve. Congrats to NCPA and all the pharmacists who fought for this.
p.s. it's a great day to move your Rx to an indie pharmacy in your town. I moved my family with one phone call. NCPA indie pharmacy locator: ncpa.org/pharmacy-loc...
p.s. it's a great day to move your Rx to an indie pharmacy in your town. I moved my family with one phone call. NCPA indie pharmacy locator: ncpa.org/pharmacy-loc...
“They’ve been creating this monopoly right in front of our eyes,” Rhode Island Lt. Gov. @sabinamatos.bsky.social said of the big grocery chains.
Fantastic article in @promarket.bsky.social by @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social on state leaders tackling monopoly power head on.
Fantastic article in @promarket.bsky.social by @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social on state leaders tackling monopoly power head on.
2. This ground-level activity is the clearest sign yet that antitrust is undergoing a durable revival — one that continues even after Lina Khan, Jonathan Kanter, and other champions have left their federal posts.
April 16, 2025 at 1:58 PM
“They’ve been creating this monopoly right in front of our eyes,” Rhode Island Lt. Gov. @sabinamatos.bsky.social said of the big grocery chains.
Fantastic article in @promarket.bsky.social by @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social on state leaders tackling monopoly power head on.
Fantastic article in @promarket.bsky.social by @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social on state leaders tackling monopoly power head on.
Reposted by Lauren Gellatly
Meanwhile, the House is going to complete the removing of the CFPB's cap on overdraft fees today, and nullify the rule that allows the agency to scrutinize Big Tech's entry into the payment system, in case you thought you could breathe easier.
April 9, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Meanwhile, the House is going to complete the removing of the CFPB's cap on overdraft fees today, and nullify the rule that allows the agency to scrutinize Big Tech's entry into the payment system, in case you thought you could breathe easier.
“We are far more powerful when we use our citizenship muscle to try to influence what’s happening." -
@ilsr.bsky.social's @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social
on the importance of going beyond boycotts to call for policy change and to shop locally in your community. www.wpr.org/culture/wisc...
@ilsr.bsky.social's @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social
on the importance of going beyond boycotts to call for policy change and to shop locally in your community. www.wpr.org/culture/wisc...
These Wisconsin indie bookstores are taking a stand against Amazon
Amid rising boycotts of major companies, the owners of Bound to Happen Books in Stevens Point and WordHaven Bookhouse in Sheboygan find themselves uniquely poised to meet the political moment.
www.wpr.org
April 9, 2025 at 5:03 PM
“We are far more powerful when we use our citizenship muscle to try to influence what’s happening." -
@ilsr.bsky.social's @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social
on the importance of going beyond boycotts to call for policy change and to shop locally in your community. www.wpr.org/culture/wisc...
@ilsr.bsky.social's @stacyfmitchell.bsky.social
on the importance of going beyond boycotts to call for policy change and to shop locally in your community. www.wpr.org/culture/wisc...
Not great.
Not having a functional FTC—the two Dem members have been locked out of the building—is already costing us all. The FTC has suspended its case against PBMs (for jacking up insulin prices) because "there are currently no sitting Commissioners able to participate in this matter."
April 3, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Not great.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG
The possible bad outcomes of Amazon buying Tiktok are wild to think about. Putting the possible censorship issues aside for a moment, imagine a world in which small sellers on Amazon are forced to pay for a Tiktok ad in order to win the buy box/get their product on the first page of search results.
April 2, 2025 at 7:46 PM
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG