It might sound a little early to already be thinking about holiday shopping, but the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI) is already hard at work to help connect local retailers with new customers.
Celebrate Local is the name of a new pop-up retail store that will be opening at Easton Town Center on October 1st in the former Harry David location. This shop is a collaborative effort between ECDI, the Easton Community Foundation and Global Gallery. Celebrate Local is curating a collection of your favorite Ohio-produced handmade and artisan products, all under one roof.
“When ECDI was approached by Heidi Maybruck, managing director of Easton Farmer’s Market, with a vision for a retail incubator space, we knew that we had a great partner and advocate,” explained Inna Kinney, ECDI’s Founder and CEO. “The Celebrate Local store was born out of our shared vision to promote local entrepreneurs and provide access to new markets for their businesses. This concept is just an extension of ECDI’s vision to create a vibrant and sustainable local economy.”
Some of the local vendors include Luna Burger, Wholly Craft, Brothers Drake Mead, Sugar Inc, Jeni’s Ice Creams, Purely Simple Raw, Maramor Chocolates, Sher Bliss Wine and Chocolates, The Batch Bakery, Velvet Ice Cream, Silver Bridge Coffee and Zapico Foods. More vendors are still being added to the lineup.
Earlier this year, ECDI launched a new peer-to-peer community investment program called Invest Local Ohio. This program allows advocates of the “buy local” movement to invest their money directly into the launch of new businesses, and provides a small return on investment as well.
For more information, visit www.celebratelocalohio.com.