LocalShops1, launched in 2008, is Tampa Bay’s source for all things local. Our mission is to provide advocacy, support and education to locally owned, independent businesses throughout the region.
We work with businesses, artists, non-profits, and other cool groups to come up with creative ways to make our neighborhoods better. Shopping locally has the economic advantages, of course: Money spent locally is more likely to stay locally. But it’s not just about money. These are the businesses that link us to the past, and ensure our communities will have lots of character in the future.
Our events help bring together local businesses and community-minded shoppers. These include the St Pete Sunday Market, Florida Food & Brews Festival, St Pete Tiny Home Festival and Shopapalooza Festival. We also organize quarterly networking socials (for shoppers and business owners), and we showcase more than 40 of our artists and makers members at our gallery and gift shop in downtown Gulfport.
