Some of Milwaukee's best-known hometown retailers, including Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, Laacke & Joys and Outpost Natural Foods, are joining forces to encourage area consumers to shop at locally owned establishments.

The group, known as Our Milwaukee, formed earlier this year to strategize ways to survive the onslaught of national merchants that are taking a greater market share in Milwaukee and elsewhere. Our Milwaukee will launch its campaign Nov. 30 at Schwartz Bookshops in Shorewood.

The group has invited other retailers and businesses in Milwaukee to attend and join Our Milwaukee for an annual fee of $150. The group hopes to attract as many as 40 members within the next year, said Pam Mehnert, general manager of the three-store Outpost Natural Foods.

"We're not anti-chain," Mehnert said. "We're really about focusing on how to expand Milwaukee and retain its local flavor."

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