New Marketing Tool Convinces Shoppers to Stay Local

WDSU News 6

Stay Local! Helps Local Businesses
Stay Local Web Site Gives Local Businesses Free Advertisement

July 14, 2009
By Melanie Hebert

New Marketing Tool Convinces Shoppers to Stay Local! from Stay Local! on Vimeo.

NEW ORLEANS — Stay Local magazine is helping local businesses to stay afloat in the slumping economy.

A cool treat from La Divina might have made one of your days a little easier this summer, but the shop’s owner credits a free marketing tool for making his life easier.

“There was an increase in business. People were coming in saying, we didn’t know you were here, this is nice you’re here. We saw you online,” said owner of La Divina Dave Marinello.

A Web site called Stay Local is providing New Orleans businesses like La Divina with free advertising. Local businesses will never know who will find them on the website.

“Rachel Ray found us online,” said Marinello.

The popular cooking show host shot an episode at La Divina, which is set to air in August.

“With the increase in business we’re going to add a third location,” said Marinello.

“Shopping more frequently at a national chain guarantees that more of your money leaves the city, so that’s less in the community and less for business owners,” said the project coordinator for Stay Local, David Baker.

The operation started small in 2003 as a part of the Urban Conservancy. It is based in an old ice house in mid-city.

“Most of our growth took place after Katrina. We found that local businesses came back first because first of all they live here, their business is here, this is their life investments, so they had to come back,” said Baker.

The New Orleans Surf Shop is one of those neighborhood businesses that came back after the storm. You’ll find it in the Stay Local listings as well.

“We’ve got everything from surf boards, long boards, board shorts, bikinis,” said Surf Shop owner Rob Owen. “It’s like living on the beach without the beach here, and you can gear up for trips.”

“It’s all local. Local business, which drives our economy, our city, and I’m really stoked to be part of it,” said Owen.

Stay Local just came out with its first publication covering local businesses in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes. It lists more than 1,500 local businesses in alphabetical order and by category. This makes it easier for you to support mom and pop.

“We wish that we had more New Orleanians who felt that way instead of ordering things online that you could get here,” said Mary Carol Chenet from Surf Shop. “It would be really nice if everyone would take that philosophy. It would really help our economy.”

For a list of places where you can find Stay Local magazine and more on how to get listed check out Melanie Herbert’s consumer blog, The Buck Stops Here in the Project Economy section of wdsu.com.

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