Introducing The Locavore Guide, a Digital Discovery Platform for NYC's Independent Retailers

Specialty shop owner Caroline Weaver (CW Pencil Enterprise) walked thousands of blocks through 170+ New York neighborhoods to catalog 10,000+ shops (and counting) and share highly original content to help readers become more conscious consumers of small businesses

NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Locavore Guide, a new digital resource that encourages New Yorkers to shop small and local, is now live. Caroline Weaver, who opened and ran the wildly popular CW Pencil Enterprise on the Lower East Side from 2014-2021, brings her dynamic experience as a retail store owner to this new venture that helps locals and visitors discover New York's vibrant offering of independent shops. Over the last 18 months, Caroline has walked nearly every square mile of the city–including 170 neighborhoods across the five boroughs–while talking to shop owners and gathering insights about the state of small business in the city. To date, Caroline has cataloged nearly 11,000 brick-and-mortar stores and will continue her journey until she has covered the entire city. The Locavore Guide's free, comprehensive site spotlights independent retailers (fewer than five locations) across every category, including clothing, food & beverage, home, health & beauty, plants & flowers, music, recreation, and more.

The Locavore Guide combines a human-made, yet unbiased directory of small businesses (think a modern-day Yellow Pages) interspersed with compelling content about specific products, interviews with shop owners, neighborhood guides, and how and why to support small and local retail stores. Regular columns and spotlights include "Caroline Finds It," a reader-inspired feature where Caroline chronicles her journey to find highly specific items like non-branded white crew socks or the perfect party piñata, as well as "The Going Rate," which compares prices for items like packing tape and portable fans at various retailers, and advice about how to be a more conscious shopper and what it really takes to operate a retail store.

"My vision for The Locavore Guide is to help New Yorkers discover businesses near them, inspire them to visit new shops, and be more conscious consumers overall," says Founder Caroline Weaver. "We're not here to tell you the 'best' place to buy blue jeans, yarn, or crystals, but we're happy to share our tried-and-tested recommendations in a range of neighborhoods and price points."

Designed by Brooklyn-based creative agency Gander, the website features an interactive map that makes it easy to discover shops in every neighborhood. While the directory and monthly e-newsletter are free, additional content and account features are reserved for supporting subscribers ($5/month or $50/year), who also gain access to exclusive content, guides and maps, and unlimited location saves. The Locavore Guide is on Instagram and TikTok at @TheLocavoreNYC. As the audience grows, The Locavore Guide plans to take the form of both a mobile app for easy shopping on-the-go, as well as a print guide to launch next year. 

CONTACT: Skyler Okey, [email protected]

SOURCE The Locavore Guide