a peek inside the fishbowl

Last year I was part of a really cool initiative called Shop the Neighbourhood. The idea behind it is to encourage people to shop locally, which I love, because I truly believe that independent stores are the backbone of our community and help make it a great place to live. I’m very happy to announce that I’m collaborating with Shop the Neighbourhood on the 2015 edition (woot!) and the big day is Saturday November 28. (You can learn more about this  campaign on their Facebook event page.)

There’s a bunch of us, from coast to coast:

Jessica Deeks took this photo of me at Westboro’s Truffle Treasures for an Ottawa Magazine piece awhile back!

I’m representing Ottawa, but Halifax, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver are hosting Shop the Neighbourhood events as well.

This year I will be roaming around Westboro and using my Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook page to share some of my favourite finds. I’ll be starting off at Winston Square where Shop The Neighbourhood representatives will be spreading local cheer, so if you’re in the area, make sure you stop by and grab some goodies. Look for the yellow, and if you see me, please say hello!

To help guide my shopping I’ll be consulting an app called YP Shopwise because it highlights all the exclusive deals that participating merchants are offering on the big day.

If you happen to be reading this from a place that is NOT Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto, Calgary, or Vancouver, I do encourage you to support your local business community in ways that make sense to you. There are lots of ways you can show a little local love:

• grab a friend and poke your heads into a shop you haven’t explored yet (Christmas is coming after all!)
• buy your hot beverage of choice at a cool local coffee shop
• try that new take out place around the corner for lunch, or dine out at dinner (there are a few restaurants listed in the app!)
• I haven’t even mentioned services: haircuts, beard trims, massage or yoga classes!

… and even if you aren’t in a position to spend on Saturday, recommendations go a long way to help small businesses, both offline or online. That being said, if you’re on Twitter, follow @shopthehood_ca (and #shopthehood too!) and you may see some tweets from me there as well. :)