Category: shop local

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Let’s Talk Newspapers: Working Together Locally
ByDeb Brown April 17, 2026April 29, 2026

Hometown newspapers are small businesses, just like the hardware store, the cafe, or the auto repair shop. They’re not just “media.” They’re employers, sponsors, storytellers, and neighbors, and their work ripples through every corner of the community. This year, collaboration is a focus of ours at SaveYour.Town, and I want to talk about how newspapers…

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entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local

The Treasure Hunt Economy: exciting retail experience for small towns
BySmall Biz Survival April 10, 2026April 4, 2026

Guest Post by Jason Duff, Small Nation I’ve been noticing something interesting happening across the small towns we work in, and I don’t think it’s temporary. In a time where inflation is still pinching wallets, customers aren’t just spending less, they’re shopping differently. They’re hunting. Not just for cheap, but for value, uniqueness, and the…

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big company | entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local | trends

Small town marketing secret: Have something to invite people to
ByBecky McCray February 24, 2026February 24, 2026

People need a compelling reason to leave their homes and come experience your business with you. This feels like a very heavy lift. . You’re supposed to be exciting enough to pull people away from their phones, their families and the comfort of online shopping. You’re competing with everything else demanding their attention. Here’s the…

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entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local | trends

More experience-based retail: the Charm Bar, Valentine’s Rose Bouquet Bar
ByBecky McCray February 14, 2026April 29, 2026

Following up on the trend of rural experience-based retail, I spotted these Valentine’s Day offerings from my local women’s boutique, The Daisy Village. I’m seeing more and more use of the term “Bar” to refer to any assemble-your-own type experience. Think like a salad bar, where you pick just the parts you want, but for…

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community | entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local

Local Products Make the Best Swag
ByBecky McCray January 5, 2026December 22, 2025

Jim Katzman wrote a great article on Medium about creating swag that customers actually want. One of his tips was “Leverage Local Pride.” That got me thinking: Local products would make the best swag. Local products are easier Instead of designing a batch of custom pens or ordering another lot of logo coffee mugs, walk…

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Best of | entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local | Survey of Rural Challenges | trends

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now
ByBecky McCray December 11, 2024March 12, 2025

Remember the Retail Apocalypse around 2017? In a media interview this week, I brought up that it was actually Retail’s Big Split, not an apocalypse, and it’s ongoing. The reporter asked me to explain, so here’s my update for today’s retail landscape. “Everything gigantic in American life is about to get smaller or die.”…

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economic development | entrepreneurship | mistakes | rural | shop local

How one town stopped business owners and staff from parking in front of downtown businesses
ByBecky McCray October 21, 2024October 18, 2024

Without making people mad! One common small town parking complaint is business staff taking up customer parking. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this brought up in discussing downtown businesses. Sometimes business owners or business employees park right in front of their business or along the Main Street. They might park out…

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entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local

Shop Local tools: Easy Editorial, Letter to the Editor template to copy
ByBecky McCray November 27, 2023

Promote local shopping with a letter to the editor or editorial Step by step instructions Ready to promote local shopping to more of your community? Try an editorial or a letter to the editor. You can submit this to your local newspaper, share it in any organization newsletters, and post it on social media! Step…

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Small Biz Survival

The Treasure Hunt Economy: exciting retail experience for small towns

Small town marketing secret: Have something to invite people to

More experience-based retail: the Charm Bar, Valentine’s Rose Bouquet Bar

Local Products Make the Best Swag

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

How one town stopped business owners and staff from parking in front of downtown businesses

Shop Local tools: Easy Editorial, Letter to the Editor template to copy

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