If you’re interested in finding out about a Cash Mob near you, visit this page for the full list.  It is organized alphabetically by state, then country.  If you don’t see your community on the list, organize one yourself.  Seriously.  You are responsible for your community, and a Cash Mob is a great way to help build that community.  Don’t put it off or wait for some time or set of circumstances in the future; start it today. Finally, check us out on Twitter– it has proven to be an incredibly useful tool for organizing and coordinating efforts across the country and around the world.

We’re incredibly thankful for your interest and visit, and we hope to see you at a Cash Mob soon!

Love,

Cash Mobs

Well then.

We held our first Cash Mob just over a year ago at Visible Voice Books.  One year later, I think it’s safe to say that Cash Mobs is a global phenomenon.  We’ve been getting a ton of attention from the UK, Germany and Australia over the last few weeks as people over there are catching on; Spain is emerging rapidly (who knows, maybe these will help fuel their recovery?); and the US is still going strong, with tons of mobs being planned for the holiday season.

If anything, this has shown us that it is the individuals in each community that are going to help bring about the revival of their communities.  It’s not going to come from outside, and anyone who tries to tell you that it will is selling snake oil.  One year later, it is still up to YOU to take responsibility for your community.  Each person has a part to play in the vibrancy and vitality of their neighborhoods.  If you’ve organized or participated in a Cash Mob, you know just how true that is.

To all of you who HAVE organized or participated in a Cash Mob, thank you.  You’re part of the solution, and together we’re going to make a difference – because when we each do a little, we all do a lot.

Love,

Cash Mobs

A great update and a question from Webster, MA:

Andrew,

I’ve brought your Cash Mob concept to our little town of Webster, Massachusetts.  We had our first successful Mob event at a Bookstore in Webster on August 11, 2012. We had about 35 turn out in total for the event and the shop made $500 over what she normally pulls in on a Saturday.

I heard of the Cash Mob from a news story that was done on a local station and while moderating a resident political forum on Facebook I was sick of all the people complaining about everything wrong in the town.  I put up a post suggesting a cash mob on that forum and I guess I wasn’t the only one who was tired of the negative and looking to do something positive.  The idea took off from there and while I did some research and learned about you, I’ll be honest I didn’t find your WordPress blog until the night before the mob.  I then learned that your first mob was at a bookstore and it felt so good knowing that, especially since our first event was also going to be at a bookstore.  It was just good Karma.

Anyway our little mob has garnished a great deal of attention and these past two weeks have been a whirlwind of newspaper interviews, emails from interested venues, and our membership numbers have grown exponentially. Here is a link to our Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/webstercashmob/ .

The one think I’ve learned is that all these groups have great motto’s and some have the same motto, so I wanted to be different.  Our motto is “Loyal 2 Local” and when I posted the mockup design one of our members came up with a gang hand symbol and posted a photo of him and his kids doing it.  This sparked several members of our mob to have their kids “flash the sign”.  I’m telling you, there is so much engergy in this group we’re just taking off and not looking back.  For the next mob we’re hitting a place called the Gift Gallery and they specialize in glassware knick knacks. Since posting the invite last week we have 35 confirmed participants.  In addition to that the big newspaper in our city is going to do a story on the mob to be featured in the business section of the Sunday paper following the event.  This paper is owned by the NY Times so who knows????

I had never even thought to go to a local watering hole after the event but b/c of your blog I’m working on an “after the mob” event to be held at a local restaurant/bar.  Our group needs T-Shirts and I’ve solicited to this establishment that if they sponsor the cost of the shirts, we’ll put their restaurant logo on the back.  I really didn’t want to go this route but since we aren’t a revenue producing organization I see sponsorship for these shirts as our only feesable solution.

I do have a question for you.  There are several businesses that we realistically couldn’t mob. There are barber shops, tattoo parlors, and other niche’ businesses.  Have any of the mobs you’ve seen since starting this found a way to include these types of businesses?  I considered doing a “mob poker walk”, which is similar to a poker run but these niche businesses will be provided with playing cards.  Then the mob will choose which business they visit to get the playing card that will make up their 5 card poker hand.  They’ll pay the owner a few bucks for a card, they’ll check out the establishment, and then they’ll move on to the next location.  This is just a thought of course.  Another option was maybe if the mobster wore the tshirt into one of these establishments they would get a discount, but that of course goes against what the cash mob goal is, so I haven’t given that much thought.  So I guess we can’t be everything to everybody, but I would like to find a way to cater to these niche businesses as well and any input you have would be appreciated.

Thank you again for this great idea,

David O’Connor

What do you think?

###

PS Please check out our Indiegogo Campaign!

I know we’ve been a bit silent recently…well, ok, we’ve been completely silent.  Radio silence.  -9db silence.  But there’s a reason.

We’re planning the next phase.  And it is exciting.  The only thing is, we’re going to need some money to get there, so we’re launching an Indiegogo campaign.  It’s like a cash mob, but it’s the cash mob of all cash mobs.

Please go here to learn more.  We’d love to have you along for the ride at any level.  With 1,000 people we can get to our goal; any more money we raise will go toward organization and doing whatever we can to support our communities.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far; we couldn’t have done it without you!  And thanks to everyone who gets us to the next phase – just know that you are helping to change the future of our communities, and because of you our future is brighter than our past.

Love,

Andrew Samtoy

PS Seriously.  You can pretend to be Ludacris.

The cash mob lunch today is at Pura Vida right in public  square! 

Andrew -

Just wanted to give you an update on what is happening in Jacksonville, FL.

We just had our third cash mob and we keep increasing momentum.  This last event drew 81 people.  We mobbed a local stationery store and I handed out stamps and encouraged mobbers to write a letter to a loved one, to a friend and tell them about the great things happening in our city, to your favorite non-profit with a small donation enclosed or to your neighbor and invite them over for dinner… all things to encourage maintaining our social capital and fostering our sense of community.

I really appreciate all of your help and guidance.  As you can see, we have steadily increased our participation and economic impact every month.

42 people Downtown

$609 Chamblins Uptown

Burrito Gallery figures are not available but same day sales increased by 38 percent

68 people Avondale

$1300 Green Man Gourmet

$579 Mojos #4

81 people San Marco

$2203.59 The Write Touch

$470 Pizza Palace

This month I plan on doing a regular cash mob and conducting a ‘lunch mob’ at a local farmers market.  That’s a great idea about the lunch mob concept.

Thanks again

Mike Field

So it feels like the hot days of summer have descended and things are taking a temporary breather.  Up here in Cleveland we’ve had a few cash mobs in the last few weeks, all of them pretty successful (45-60 people), and another smaller one coming up this Saturday.  We had a great Lunch Mob last week, which got new media attention and brought in $900 for the Flying Fig, but even with the new blood and new ideas, things still feel so…

Slow.

Perhaps it is the heat.

It’s also time to work on innovations.  I suspect that in the next month or two we’ll see some mobs at ice cream/frozen custard shops.  What else might be weather appropriate?  Farmers Markets?

Also, we have a TON of stuff in the works behind the scenes which has taken up an amazing amount of time.  It is rewarding and educational and is why I’m up past midnight all the days, and not working out as much as I should be, and eating casseroles and lasagnas and things that are easy to make.  We’re going to have some stuff moving out soon, and fast, and it’s going to be fun!!!

Cleveland -

Just a quick note – we’re having a Cash Mob Lunch on Wednesday, June 13 at 12:00 p.m. in Ohio City.  We’ll be meeting in the new park across from the West Side Market and we’ll go to the restaurant from there!  It will be $20 for a fixed price salad/sandwich/dessert meal, and I’ve been working with the restaurant to make sure that it’s locally sourced.  I’m pretty excited about this one mostly because it will help force the social aspects of a Cash Mob, and it’ll be a nice excuse to get away from work and meet new people!  If you’re coming, please RSVP on the Facebook invitation so we can help the restaurant plan.

Hope to see you there!!!

Andrew

From Middleborough, Massachusetts:

Just thought you would like to know what a success our Mob was on Friday. The Main Drag, a new hole in wall sandwich shop in downtown Middleborough Massachusetts had about 50 new customers, not to mention overflow on the days preceding and following. With only 100-odd people in our FB group, I was hoping for 10-15. Seems that word of mouth spread very far beyond the group.

In addition to tasty sandwiches from the mobbed business, a local accounting firm sent over a bucket plastered with Cash Mob logo stickers and business cards and filled with truffles and other candies  as a way to say thank you to the community for supporting local businesses and to get a little of their own marketing bang from the mob.

Says the owner:

“To all the cash mobsters and then some who came out to support my shop last Friday, thank you, thank you so much. I hope everyone was happy with their order and will return again. This is so great for the local shop owners. I had a blast, and was very tired at the end of the day. Thanks again………The Main Drag”

Keep up the good work!

Stu

Farmer’s Market CASH MOB    Saturday June 2, 2012 meet at 9:30 am

Countryside Farmers’ Market at Howe Meadow in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

        follow us on Twitter @countrysidechix

4040 Riverview Rd., Peninsula, OH, 44264   (a mere 20 miles from downtown Cleveland, easy access from I-77 and 271) 

Visit with the farmers and vendors in the intimate setting of the market where they share the fruit of their labors. Enjoy chefs demos and the musical styling of Ryann Anderson while you stroll the market. Bring the family and your hiking shoes or bikes and enjoy the beauty of the national park located in your own back yard. Bike to the Winking Lizard, hike to Blue Hen Falls, whatever your pleasure the CVNP has something for you.

                       At the Cash Mob, there are three rules:

1.      Spend $20;

2.      Meet three people you didn’t know before;

and 3.      HAVE FUN!!!

Market Product Report as of 5/26

~ breakfast burritos ~ specialty flours ~ oodles of homemade jam ~ Tuscan glaze ~ plants galore!  Peonies, tomatoes, bulbs, rhubarb and more! ~ veggie filets ~ farmstead smoked Swiss cheese and cream cheese ~ bok choy ~ buffalo patties ~ buffalo hot dogs ~ fresh pasta ~ vegan waffles ~ fresh roasted select grade coffee ~ nitrate-free bacon ~ ham steaks ~ sausage rolls ~ grass-fed cheese ~ botanical art greeting cards ~ sweet, crunchy carrots ~ strawberries ~ apples ~ one-of-a-kind jewelry ~ honey ~ Key Lime chevre ~ pierogies ~ tempting macarons ~ multigrain pancake and waffle mix ~ double chocolate croissants ~ hand-crocheted dishcloths ~ romaine lettuce ~ beets ~ turnips ~   kale ~ knife sharpening ~ breakfast links ~ lemon & sea salt zesty salad topping ~ buttercrunch lettuce ~ spinach pies ~ fresh chicken, whole and cuts ~ veal steaks (t-bone, rib steaks, sirloin) and brisket ~ guacamole and fresh home cooked corn chips ~ yummy focaccia ~ hothouse tomatoes ~ spinach ~ hand-crafted chocolates ~ spring crab salad ~ shiitake mushrooms ~ and much, much more!

Countryside Conservancy and Market: Protecting farmland, supporting farmers, and growing a healthy local food economy. We connect communities and farmers, provide alternate market choices, and create venues that foster civic engagement through fun and informal education.