We support the shop local ecosystem, and an ingredient in that is local jobs. Marc Levinson in The Wall St. Journal reviews two books that address made-in-the-U.S.A. ventures.
Spoiler alert: Doing the right thing often costs more. These all likely cost more: Shopping local, using local labor, and running local manufacturing. If you’re involved in one of these area, we hope you’ll appreciate those in the others. I’ve met local shop owners that outsource their ...
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Shop Local’s software helps an indie store in Mer Rouge, Louisiana save 2 weeks in labor by quickly populating 1,748 items in their online Store.
February 20, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Cotton Bale Market, a retail store in Mer Rouge, Louisiana has chosen the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business.
Cotton Bale Market is a favorite local Home Store and Gift Shop. They offer a wide variety of items for decorating, gift giving, and more. Cotton Bale Market also offers a complete wedding and shower gift registry service that simplifies gift-giving for any special occasion.
By joining Shop Local, the store instantly ...
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How a local shop quickly opened an online store with a gift registry and saved $955 in costs, all from a flyer in their Casafina shipment.
February 6, 2024
We are pleased to announce The Square Gift Co. has joined the Shop Local community of retailers. The Square Gift Co. is a retail store in Fulton, Mississippi. The store owners, Jessica Howell and Keely McMillen recently placed an order with Casafina. When their shipment arrived, it contained a flyer promoting Shop Local. The flyer helped them more easily market and sell what was in the box online. The Square Gift Co. currently has a Shopify online store but was looking for a Gift Registry ...
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How a local shop quickly opened an online store with a gift registry and saved 3 weeks and $1800+ in costs.
January 31, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Atkinson Floral has joined the Shop Local community of retailers. Atkinson Floral is a florist and gift shop in Atkinson, NE. The store owner, Curie Mincer, has owned and operated the business since 2016. Over the course of time, she has expanded the florist shop gift area and added a gourmet coffee shop. Her passion for her business and her community led her to expand her services to include a gift registry program, which is lacking in their small town. Curie&...
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It’s a 40th anniversary for the company founded by Colin Riggs (left) and Ned Voelker’s parents, Abigail and Ed Voelker. Over the last four decades, the entire family has created a curated collection of handmade tableware and giftware for the nation’s independent store retailers.
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Congratulations on a milestone 40th year in business. Are you surprised Abigails has endured? Ned Voelker: We are surprised. It’s a tribute to Ed and Abbie ...
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Marion Samuel, who manages Babcock Gifts, a Tennessee-based gift shop, pens Tableware Today’s Last Word column in this month’s issue. She shares how they have grown over the last 50 years and run their store.
I was pleased to see her tout the store’s Bridge software. Babcock Gifts, which has been a client for 10 years, uses Bridge’s Shop Local gift registry service and Brand Syncing service. Using our service, they showcase 400+ couples’ gift registries online ...
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Babcock Gifts celebrates its 50th birthday in 2024. The bridal registry and gift shop opened in 1972 as a partnership that included interior design. In 1974, with the exit of one partner, the store focused on antiques, gifts, and bridal registry. Over the next 42 years, there would be growth into two stores before downsizing to one. In 2016, ownership changed and the store moved one block down, where it continues to be a destination for bridal registry and gift-giving. With the constant doom and...
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We are pleased to announce that Kalalou is ready to Sync products with authorized retailers. Syncing products is free for your business. There is no charge. (The brand pays for this service.)
Kalalou joins our stable of 110 premium brands that Sync products with 1,200+ fine indie stores.
View Kalalou's Synced products
View the 1,500+ products you can Sync from Kalalou here: kalalou.myshoplocal.com
View an example of a retailer's Store that is ...
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How registrants can invite friends to open a registry at your store via text.
May 24, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: Registrants can now invite friends to open a registry at your store. The new "Help a Friend" feature on registry lists allows registrants to send a text message to their friends with an invitation to open a registry.
In the example shown, we see a registry list at Luxury Gift Shop. In the "Help a Friend" box, the registrant can click the "See Details & Invite Friend" link to refer their friend to your registry service....
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I am pleased to announce the Nicolette Mayer Collection is ready to sync products with authorized retailers. If this interests you, please continue reading and I'll share how to sync. Syncing products is free for your business. There is no charge. (The brand pays for this service.)
Nicolette Mayer Collection joins our stable of 112 premium brands that sync products with 1,200+ fine indie stores.
About Nicolette Mayer Collection
Produced by dedicated artisans in ...
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I was at the East Village restaurant Evil Katsu tonight and spotted this clever promotion. I think gift shops should have a sign like this, too, and offer free gift wrapping if the customer leaves a review.
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While buying a beer this past weekend in Philadelphia, I spotted this cool beer can with a ‘Back to the Future’ themed design. I was happy to see on the can, which is brewed by Three 3’s Brewery, a “Drink Local” campaign. Supporting local businesses, whether they are breweries or gift shops, is a mission dear to us.
When is the last time you received a Starbucks gift card? I’ve received them as holiday gifts, and I’ve given them to sales reps as thank you gifts. Starbucks gift cards, like their shops, are ubiquitous. They are almost as popular as gift cards from our nemesis: Amazon.com. Just about every month, a company offers me an Amazon gift card if I sign up for a service. WBGO, the local, Newark-based, non-profit radio station known for jazz, recently offered me an Amazon gift ...
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An East Village Artist’s Death Prompts a Reflection on the State of Indie Retailers Today
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While thumbing through the Times, I noticed a smiling young woman’s picture in the obituaries. In the black and white photograph, she's standing on a fire escape with a historic building and a bridge in the distance. I was initially attracted to Ronni Solbert’s 1959 picture, yet I was even more drawn in by what I noticed next to her photo: a children&...
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This graphic shows the situation in which many retailers find themselves. Many retailers are stuck trying to connect their digital wholesale buying and their stores’ websites.
On the left, we see wholesale software operators, including MarketTime, Juniper, Faire, Bridge, etc.
In the middle is the retailer.
On the right we see retail (D2C) software providers, including Bridge, Shopify, Big Commerce, etc.
The software entities on the left should connect ...
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We've added a new feature to your Bridge: each of your registries now has a unique QR code. You, your registrants, and gift-givers can use these codes to quickly access registries and shop.
In the example shown, we see a wedding registry for Melly Jones & Jason Johnson at the Luxury Gift Shop. This registry has a unique QR code. The store can print this QR code and place it in a display in the store. When a customer (or staff member) in the store wants to access the ...
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Your Bridge has a new feature: you can now choose what type of retail business you have. For example, you may choose "Kitchen store" and "Home goods store." When you pick these sectors, we'll send you customers looking for your business type. How? We help you rank higher in Google. Bridge accomplishes this by outputting this information about your business around the web. In particular, Bridge outputs these sectors on your account, on other members' accounts, and ...
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Peloton’s new CEO, Barry McCarthy, was recently interviewed in the New York Times (Read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/19/business/dealbook/barry-mccarthy-interview-peloton.html). The authors asked Mr. McCarthy if he thought that everyone who needs a workout bike already had one. They questioned where else a company making stationary exercise bikes can go (…an ironic question for a bike product that literally can’t move). The Times wanted to know what ...
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Glassworks and Cheeks will be open Christmas Eve for last minute gift shopping and holiday decorating. Pictured are the Juliska Stockings, new for 2021. These heirloom pieces are waiting to take part in your treasured Holiday traditions.
Stop in either location to finish your shopping!
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