Brigham Johnson on LinkedIn: How this tiny rural town saved its only grocery store (2024)

Saving rural shopsGreat to see that this shop has been saved. Shops are a crucial service in small villages, and saving them can be a challenge. In our village, Barberà de la Conca, we are currently without a shop. When I first came to live here, there were two grocery shops. Villagers supported them by making sure to spread their business between the two. As an example, for one of the community dinners, they would serve oranges for dessert. The organising committee would buy half of the oranges in one shop and the other half in the other! One of the shops closed about 15 years ago and the second, which had passed through several generations, about 5 years ago. Both due to retirement. A new shop opened, run by somebody from outside the village, but it was gone in a flash (marital problems and poor management). The couple who were running the café/bar at the time decided to add a shop (the space is very large). This worked very well, but they changed careers about 6 months ago and left both the cafè/bar and the shop. Among the reasons: long hours, rising costs, and family needs. After being closed for about 3 months, the café/bar reopened under new management. The new owners are doing very well, but have too much on their plate at the moment to consider adding a shop and I fear they might never. At the moment, we can buy fresh bread at the café/bar, newspapers at the wine cooperative, and fruit/veg and fish once a week at the market. For the local gossip, we now have to rely on the hairdresser ;-).In Spain, all villages have a village council, so it's now up to the council to find a solution. If they don't, let's hope the community will come together, as it has in the past. Barberà de la Conca led the Spanish cooperativist movement in the late 19th century. It founded the first agricultural cooperative in Catalonia and the second in Spain. One of its services was a shop, and we found out a couple of years ago from a woman who turned 101 this year that the basem*nt of our house, Les Voltes www.lesvoltesbarbera.com, was its distribution centre.So fingers crossed that all will turn out well. There are plenty of places that could serve as a shop, but incentives and financial support are needed.https://lnkd.in/dgdBYP9Y

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We continue to do the work. Consumer choice is what drives the local economy. Local businesses are closing because folks are choosing not to shop/dine local. Brands that we sell are recording record growth and profits. Trust me people in Sioux Falls are purchasing what we have to sell, they are choosing box stores, online marketplaces, chain restaurants, and direct to consumer options. More local establishments will close unless we build a local first mindset. https://lnkd.in/gyzyNxbW

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"Imagine your hometown or local community. Go to the main street or shopping district in your mind. Now imagine it without any small businesses. Instantly, the area loses everything that makes it unique and brings charm.Small businesses provide character and individuality to a community. It is neighbors helping neighbors ― friends helping friends. However, small businesses are more than that. They benefit their local communities in many concrete, quantifiable ways.Small businesses are the backbone of their local communities. More specifically, if you spend $100 at a local business, roughly $68 stays within your local economy.Create a Unique Community IdentityLocally owned restaurants reflect the fresh foods of different regions. For instance, local farm-to-table establishments showcase fresh vegetables, fruits, and locally raised meats and game. These places lend a distinct character to their communities, showcasing the chef and owner’s unique appreciation for the area. Small local businesses, from shops to professional services, reflect the personality of a town.Walking down a row of businesses downtown creates an opportunity for visitors to explore the community, getting a sense of its values and identity. From a cozy coffee shop to the banking, legal, and municipal services that are necessary for daily life, walkable local business enclaves invite shoppers to stay longer and interact with their friends and neighbors. A thriving shopping district creates an impression of vitality and wealth, producing a positive impression of the community overall."Continue reading in the article below.#mygovus#buildbettercommunities#governmentsoftwaresolutions

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Have you heard of Sonora Taquería?(The best tacos in town…)I’m always inspired when I see an independent food retailer thriving.Last year, Sonora Taquería opened their first brick and mortar store in Stoke Newington after gaining popularity at its London Fields food stall.Because they sold an amazing product and truly built a social-first brand, they allowed their customer around the table and ran a successful crowdfunding campaign to help them fund the move.This social-first approach allowed them to let their customers invest financially and emotionally in their brand story.Some topline notes:- They have 33k followers on Instagram- There’s a queue round the block most days- Customers can be seen eating in the alley ways- Menu is limited but has a few high-quality options- They leverage social to offer insights behind the scenes And it’s already become a bit of a cultural hotspot in Stoke Newington, which is incredible considering they’ve only been there for less than a year.It’s also impressive because the restaurant is not even situated in a central location. I love this as a success story, it goes to show if you make a great quality product and invest time in building a strong online community, the power of social nowadays can give you the springboard to mitigate risk, emotionally capture your audience and dominate the high street.Had they started with a brick and mortar store first, they may have been another flash in the pan.

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DFD #15: Unlocking easter's e-commerce potential: A seller's guide beyond religious observance.As an e-commerce seller, it's essential to view holidays like Easter through a strategic lens beyond religious observance. Understanding why people make purchases during Easter can significantly impact your business strategy.🛍️Top 7 reasons people make easter purchases:1. Gift Giving: Purchasing presents, especially for children.2. Holiday Preparation: Buying food, decorations, and supplies for Easter gatherings.3. Seasonal Shopping: Shopping for spring clothing and home decor.4. Tradition and Ritual: Acquiring items for Easter customs and traditions.5. Indulgence and Treats: Enjoying Easter-themed foods and treats.6. Home Improvement: Refreshing the home with new items.7. Charitable Giving: Supporting and donating to charity.✅Utilizing easter as an e-Commerce seller:1. Offer Easter-themed products that cater to these purchasing motives.2. Conduct Easter-themed marketing campaigns to capitalize on consumer behaviors.3. Incorporate Easter-related keywords into your SEO strategy for increased visibility.4. Provide Easter discounts to attract holiday shoppers.5. Showcase Easter products visually through high-quality imagery and displays.6. Create engaging Easter content such as blog posts and social media posts.7. Support charitable causes, aligning with the spirit of Easter and fostering goodwill within your community.By leveraging these insights and strategies, you can effectively tap into Easter's potential as an e-commerce seller beyond its religious significance.🐣 With that said - Happy Easter to all who celebrate!💬If you're a beginner with questions about starting an online store, don't hesitate to ask in the comments below! ♻️Repost to share this with your network.#DailyFoundersDiary #ecommerce #easter__👋 I'm Marianne, co-founder of Select Your Product, where we empower professionals with the confidence and know how to start their own e-commerce business. . I'm on a mission to democratize financial and business education. Join my Daily Founder's Diary to transition from employee to entrepreneur and let’s build a community of like-minded (future) founders! 🧡

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New Post: Holiday Ecommerce Sales Tips for Handling Logistics - https://lnkd.in/gHGDs242 - When it comes to online selling during the festive, people seem to always be looking for holiday ecommerce sales conversion tips and ecommerce advertising tips.Still, ecommerce sales tips related to logistics may be a much more important topic, says Rob Tillman, vice president of operations for Rakuten.In this tips below, Tillman draws from his wealth of experience to help your ecommerce business face important challenges and avoid critical missteps. He also offers some holiday ecommerce sales and logistics tips.Holiday Ecommerce Sales ChallengesWhat challenges do ecommerce sellers face during the holiday season? Tillman lays out some of the big ones below.Labor Constraints: Difficulty in finding adequate help, especially in the ecommerce industry. Workers along the supply chain are scarce.Capacity Constraints: Problems with the flow of products due to issues like port closures and congestion.Issues with Small Parcel Shippers: Services like Federal Express and UPS being at full capacity.Additional Surcharges: Carriers implementing additional surcharges without indications of removal.Availability of Product: Shortages due to capacity constraints affecting the supply chain.Labor ConstraintsYou’ve no doubt seen restaurants closed recently because of being unable to find adequate help. Across the board, from fast-food chains to gourmet establishments, the dining industry has felt the pinch.The fact is that this challenge extends to the ecommerce industry as well. Just like the restaurant sector, online businesses grapple with similar labor shortages. During the pandemic, those constraints have evolved.In the beginning, it was about being able to bring workers in and keep them safe amidst rigorous protocols.Today, with altered work dynamics and remote setups, employees who work at various points along the supply chain are simply not available — at least not at the numbers needed, leading to major disruptions.Capacity ConstraintsAnother challenge involves the amount of product moving through the supply chain and the speed at which sellers can get products from their suppliers.This isn’t just about raw numbers, but about the synchronization and efficiency of systems. Recently a major port in China was closed for a full week due to COVID concerns, emphasizing the fragility of global supply chains.Similarly, congestion in ports from California to New Jersey, paired with bureaucratic red tape and other logistical nightmares, has slowed the flow of products considerably, affecting not just local businesses but global economies as a whole.Issues with Small Parcel ShippersSmall parcel carriers are critical to online sellers when it comes to delivering products to customers in a timely manner. It’s the backbone of ecommerce logistics.Yet services like Federal Express and UPS, giants in the parcel delivery world, have bee

The Circ*mstances and Threats Facing us Currently:The prices of food and grocery Products just keep rising while the quality of the food and products being offered seems to continuously decrease. Grocery chains are treating our meats with gases like carbon monoxide and other gases. In order to Increase the shelf life and appearance of the meat they are offering the public.The Future is coming up fast and the Answer is:That is why Snap Food Products Local Community Buying Group Inc.was formedand created as a "CBG". Similar CBG's, rsFarmeCommunity Farm stoi and similar communitesy stor are popping up everyday in communities all across the country.Our Research Indicates that CBG's are projected and destined to become the Future of how we will all Shop for Groceries sooner than we think. Major Grocery Chains now planning on switching their retail operations over to similar business platforms, as stores close and online shopping increases. For those of you not familiar with what a CBG is. Well CBG's are groups of people or businesses, who have the same goal or objective in mind. Usually that goal is to get lower prices and get higher quality products and or services while saving time and money at the same time.The combined buying power of all the members or businesses in these type of groups,provides and affords an excellent opportunity for the groups management to negotiate better prices, better quality Items and more desirable delivery and availability options. Because the group can secure and offer to make much larger purchases from the suppliers.All members of the group benefit from this advantages opportunity in a significant number of way's. They get to enjoy many benefits from the efforts put forth by the groups management and operations. Lower Pricing, affords members with Greater Savings, Quicker Delivery of Higher Quaility Fresher and Healthier Products, and of course the additional benefit of Higher Savings allowing them to take advantage of other opportunites they couldnt afford before being in the group. Cost Effectiveness:Join our Group to Save up to 60% on Fresh Meat and Groceries for your Family. We are looking for 50 Families to Pre-Register and Commit for Free as Charter Members in our non-profit community buying group. where our mission is to help families " Spend Less and Save More " on all their regular Grocery Purchases.Recruitment Drive Currently Underway:Our group is currently running a recruitment drive for Individuals and Families in Jacksonville Florida's, Murray Hill area and some surrounding communities.We are seeking New Members to join o ur group and take advantage of the great savings our unique local buying group has to offer. Snap Food Products Local Buying Group is where you can make your grocery dollars go further and save a ton of money all year long by taking advantage of the benefits and special deals we secure and offer to our members.

This post hits on some great topics for small business owners. I often observe those who are not successful fail at connecting to the community. Let us help you connect through nonprofit sponsorships. Learn more about our service at https://lnkd.in/e4vz2hVhhttps://lnkd.in/egxYUUH5

As keeping items in the circular economy and out of landfills becomes increasingly important, organizations like Goodwill rise to the top as key players in the sustainability space.

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My roommates and I share groceries. We all bulk shop for our apartment and save $300 a month.https://ift.tt/m7rPMX0My roommates and I bulk shop for our apartment and share groceries.René MorrellI'm a Chicago-based creative in the art world and restaurant industry.I have two roommates who also bulk shop and share groceries with me.Our system may not work for everyone, but it aligns with the values we were raised with.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with René Morrell. It has been edited for length and clarity.Even with the nuances in our experiences, my roommates and I were all raised in households emphasizing the importance of community and resource sharing.This common value, which we've maintained as important in our adult lives, allows us to share our food and other resources in a cooperative and communal way.My roommates and I started sharing our bulk groceries around 2018, but my journey with sharing bulk groceries began even earlier. A couple of years ago, I worked for a nonprofit, and during my time there, I started a program where we gave food to families in bulk. That experience really piqued my interest in implementing bulk grocery sharing in my own home.We may have different titles, but we're all creativesI'm a creative with a somewhat split life between the food service industry and the art world. I work as a server in Chicago, where I was born and raised and still live. In 2023, I graduated with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.My two roommates are fellow creatives, and we knew each other before moving in together. One of my roommates is a fashion designer, and I actually have a familial connection with my other roommate, who's a makeup artist. We've known each other since we were teens.Being creatives, sometimes we don't always have the money to compensate each other financially. I might log in to my account and find it's negative. To foster a safer environment at home, we've transitioned into doing more of a barter system over the years. The barter system not only makes sense for us, but it also helps us avoid creating food waste, which we all take issue with.We all contribute to our bulk grocery-sharing routineWe all participate in our bulk grocery shopping and sharing routine and shop at a few different stores, so there's variety in what we bring into the space. One of my roommates, a fashion designer, juices, so he buys a lot of produce in bulk at places like Costco or even restaurant wholesale stores he has access to. A lot of times, he makes juices for the entire house, but sometimes, he makes specialized juices just for himself.My other roommate, a makeup artist, gets bottled water and grains from Trader Joe's, Pete's Market, or sometimes even food pantries for the house. I'm the meat buyer of the house and tend to shop at more mainstream grocery stores.My last bulk grocery run was to Jewel-Osco. I honestly think they partially created their app becau...