localshopper

Here she is, with Historic Shed! Details on LocalShops1.com http://feeds.feedburner.com/tampabaycom/blogs/deals Read Full Story

It's that time again!! LocalShops1.com and Socially Mediated have partnered up again to bring Saint Pete Tweets' fourth Tweet-up! And this time, we're taking it across the bay ... Our host is the beautiful Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, which has offered free guided tours, snacks and drinks. You just bring your smiling self :) For those who have never been to a Tweet-up, here's what to expect: awesome people, social and business networking, maybe even a few surprises. For more information... Read Full Story

Our environmentally-friendly friends Katia and Mary have a plan to encourage businesses to make their shops greener. They're sponsoring Tampa's very first Carrotmob. Here is how it works: Businesses place bids, committing a percentage of sales on 'mob' day to go toward improving insulation, installing energy-efficient lighting, etc. Store with highest bid wins. Meanwhile, they're gathering a group of people -- lots of students here, from USF and UT -- who pledge to shop at the winning store... Read Full Story

It's nice to know there are still some good souls out there. One of our local small business folks who recently had to shut down because of the ruined economy also just lost her house to foreclosure. In a week's time, she and her two children would be out on the streets. But Kalena Bowers of Parrish is resourceful and savvy. She turned to Craig's List and posted a listing asking for help from the community in finding a solution. An act of kindness was born, and someone generously offered... Read Full Story

Let's face it: those of us who run small local businesses have few champions for our cause. And with the decline in the economy, driving customers through the door is a bit tougher these days. We've got someone in our corner, though. Localshops 1, the brainchild of savvy St. Pete journalist Ester Venouziou , has been a trumpet for local retail and small business in the Tampa Bay area for the last year. The Localshops 1 site is nothing less than a phenomenon; the network web is a far-reaching... Read Full Story

I learned early on as a freshman news reporter that to really find out what's going on in a place, you can't skulk around city hall. Instead, you park your butt in the best local cafe and pay attention to the local crowd. When I transplanted myself here from little New England, it was kind of a culture shock of chain restaurants and traffic whizzing by. It took me a while to find those kitschy little local places where the pie is homemade and the gossip is just as fresh as the coffee. Found a... Read Full Story

Have you guys seen this? Billboards around the area connected to Twitter accounts? Talk about a new height in advertising. Clear Channel Outdoors which rents out digital billboards for advertising has entered a new realm by hooking those boards up to Twitter, the social networking site that plays host to many businesses. People keep in touch by sending out 140 - character "tweets" on their status. Clear Channel Outdoors has figured out how to instantly send those tweets to the ad boards... Read Full Story

I am watching with some trepidation the "academic" meetings happening about the Tampa Bay Rays and where they should play. Yes, I know worrying about it now is probably a bit premature, since the Rays do have a contract with the city of St. Petersburg through 2027, but I have also been around the block enough times to know that nothing is ever set in stone. Besides the fact that the Trop is a landmark, we have come to love seeing our Rays in St. Pete. So why now after all these years is St... Read Full Story

Given the obvious slow death-rattle of customer service, it's nice to stumble upon a place where it thrives! I had a great find in Manatee County, a little family-run spa tucked away on US 301 on the way through Parrish. I'll admit it right here: I love to be pampered. Don't we all? But I have been to a few nail spas in my travels that seem to run more like a production line in a factory. They just seem to be missing that certain welcoming ambiance . Cali Nails & Tan in Parrish is quite... Read Full Story

I come from old school journalism, the era of "who, what, when, where & why" and a good, craftily written lead. I pounded a beat for years, surviving on my investigative skills to scoop the other daily papers. And as the business of journalism has shifted due to our digital society, I flowed with it. I know the idea of the scoop is obsolete; no such thing when the info is spinning the Web moments after it is released. I can remember the days when press releases were our meat and potatoes... Read Full Story