For more than a decade, July has served as Independent Retailer Month, a time to celebrate the strides independent retailers make in their local communities. This year, there is much to celebrate. For every $100 spent at an independent retailer, at least $68 of that stays in the local economy. However, new small business data from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows persistent inflation, labor shortages and other threats to local retailers and other small businesses.