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The shop local movement is growing and that is exciting news for a small business owner such as myself. It doesn’t seem that long ago that Shop Local and Small Business Saturday was a new ‘thing’; a day to balance out Black Friday and now, to my dismay, the shop on Thanksgiving push.
As a small business, UpShoot can sometimes feel like a little fish in a big lake of giant pr and marketing companies. But that is how we like it! As a small company, we at UpShoot have the opportunity to work closely with our clients, all of whom are small businesses themselves. We are a team, a family if you like, of innovative thinkers and dreamers who have grand ideas and support each other.
Gardening is a very personal experience. It is almost impossible to have a true garden experience in a big box store. Gardeners want to talk with other gardeners, people with dirt under their nails. We like to hear directly from others how a plant performed, how they liked a tool and which garden book they simply could not put down. Maybe that’s why the shop local movements has been around, well, forever, in the garden world.
I was thrilled to see my forthcoming book, Garden-pedia featured in the Lakenetwork e-newsletter along with a handful of other outstanding holiday gift ideas from other local business. In UpShoot’s November newsletter we spotlighted a few small business owners and their products which we highly recommend. If you are looking for locally owned business in your area, I have a great source for you; Independent We Stand. They have great search engine that allows you pull up all the registered locally owned business within your area: from bookstores to beauty salons, art galleries, and restaurants, even tools! Wanting to see all the shops in my area, I did a search sans a key word. BINGO! I was surprised to see the number and selection of independent shops in my area, many offering products and services I had not thought of for my own Christmas shopping and year round services.
If you are a small business looking for great information on becoming part of the Shop Local movement, American Express has a great online resource you should explore. Shop Small, by American Express introduction says it all, “Invite customers to shop at your business all year long by creating free, personalized marketing materials. Get a digital banner, signage, and more to help attract a crowd of customers.” If you are a consumer, they have a great resource for you as well!
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