In thinking about the consequences of a global event like the COVID-19 pandemic, it is surprising to notice its disparate effects across the country. It seems contradictory that such a universal experience should be felt differently from one community to the next, but this reality speaks to the diverse set of conditions that Americans face every day. Over the past few months, many communities have chosen to respond in a way that best addresses the specific challenges in their immediate surroundings. This remarkable display of localism — which prioritizes the development of social, political, and economic ties on a smaller scale — has been instrumental in building solidarity and guiding recovery efforts in neighborhoods and towns nationwide.

Our friends at DEI Creative in Seattle, Washington, recognized the incredible power that communities have to help their residents and business owners in these changing times. To further this work, DEI Creative set up Support-Local an online shopping platform which makes it easy to support and promote various businesses under one URL. The platform is organized around the neighborhood or community unit and designed to match the local vibe. It can be easily integrated into an existing website or set up as a standalone domain with the goal of connecting businesses to new and existing customers in their area.

The effort has already taken off in places like Ballard, Washington and the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle. The two marketplaces recreate the feeling of browsing shops and restaurant menus on Main Street, bringing the familiarity and convenience of that experience to an online space. On Support-Local, transactions are still personal between the buyer and seller, and — crucially for this moment — sellers retain 100% of their sales. In short, the platform provides an easy way to maintain those all-important social and economic ties that keep our attention and our dollars focused on the community around us, so that the businesses and business-owners involved can remain our neighbors for years to come.

If you are a leader or small business owner interested in seeing your community represented on Support-Local, visit the site or contact hello@support-local.com for more information.