- From mood rings to a life-sized Santa, something for everyone -
Words and Image courtesy of the Retail Alliance.
December 11, 2020, Norfolk, Va. – As COVID-19 restrictions continue to negatively impact retailers, local small businesses are going online to reach more customers this holiday season. LOVEVA, a shop local program of regional merchants association Retail Alliance, has created a Holiday Gift Guide for consumers to have a fun and easy way to shop local small businesses online with direct links to purchase or an easy call to order and pick-up curbside. From mood rings to a life-sized Santa, there is something for everyone.
Local LOVEVA businesses in the inaugural Holiday Gift Guide are:
Chrysler Museum Shop
Escape Room
Mom & Me Boutique
Garden Gazebo
The Gift Shop at Decorum
Ability Center of Virginia
Prince Books
Wild Birds Unlimited
Hemp Haven Chesapeake
The Royal Chocolate
Embroidery and Print House
Care-A-Lot Pet Supply
Williamsburg Salt Spa
Countryside Gardens
Perfectly Natural Soap
Crystal Palate
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Eco Maniac Company
Worth The Wait
Pownd Cakes by Jen
Visit Norfolk’s Mermaid Market
The Virginia Store
The Industrial Cottage
Studio East Salon
Esprit Décor
The Creative Wedge
Taylor’s Do it Center
Coast DIY Bar
Topiaries
Siren Skate Shop
Hamilton Perkins Collection
Ocean Palm
Heritage Natural Market
La Brioche
Cure Coffeehouse
The Christmas Store
ProMedia Video Services
“At Retail Alliance, we know that consumers believe in and value small business, now more than ever,” Lisa Renée Jennings, LOVEVA Program Manager says. “We see it and hear it every day and, as this pandemic continues, consumers realize the importance of shopping local. With the LOVEVA Gift Guide we’ve given them an easy way for them to support and shop local businesses online.”
On a national level, 66% of consumers feel that small businesses are more important than ever before and 57% are confident that they can adapt to the times, according to an Epic Presence Survey conducted in May 2020.
37 local LOVEVA businesses have participated in the Holiday Gift Guide this year with plans to repeat this around major shopping holidays throughout the year. Local LOVEVA is a Buy Local app for Hampton Roads. With over 26,000 downloads, LOVEVA helps consumers find more than 350 small businesses and rewards them for shopping local.
Since 2014, LOVEVA has had two important missions of supporting small businesses and educating consumers on the importance of shopping local. As a program of Retail Alliance, the investment of creating a regional program incorporating an app, bands local businesses together, giving them a stronger voice than going it alone. Along with other resources of Retail Alliance, businesses have a wide range of support to survive in trying times. More than just a feel-good cause, the public should know local shopping has a positive impact on our economy. Dollars spent locally, stay local and have great potential to recirculate throughout the community generating a multiplier effect. Among many other good reasons to think local first, small businesses typically pay a higher wage, contribute to charities, and create an entrepreneurial culture which in turns creates jobs.
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