We're on the radio!!

In case you missed it, localshops1.com was featured on WMNF, Tampa Bay's community radio station, on Monday night.

One correction, though: localshops1.com has almost 600 businesses listed. The report gives an incorrect number.

Here is the link to their story:

http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/6453

To hear the complete story -- and preview localshops1.com's song! -- you need to download the audio portion. Segment of localshops1 is about 45 minutes into the program ... The above link also includes this shorter, text version of the report:


Though rain may have cancelled most of the performances that were scheduled for a children’s talent show in Gulfport on Sunday, it did not dampen the spirits of Localshops1.com, the organizers for the event. The Gulfport-based website is devoted to the promotion of independent, local businesses in the Tampa Bay area.

David Knoll a local Gulfport singer, serenaded the crowd with an original song about localshops1.com. The audience consisted mostly of parents and the owners of the neighboring shops that line Beach Boulevard and who came to support the website. Pat Largo, the marketing manager for the website, said Localshops1.com was launched on Aug. 1. He said the website was created as a resource and alternative method to shop and keep money in our local markets that thrive in Pinellas and the surrounding counties.

The founder of Localshops1.com, Ester Venouziou said the website helps bring the community together, and the talent show was just an example of their outreach efforts. Shopping locally helps support your neighbors, Venouziou said, instead of helping to support huge corporations.

The proceeds from the raffle that was held at the talent show were being donated to the Woman Warrior. Inc., a non- profit organization that brings spoken word poetry and other artistic outlets to at-risk teens.

Adrienne Nadeau, president and founder of the Warrior Woman, said she has always loved poetry and felt that it was an important form of expression to bring to young adults. She said she looks forward to the future plans of the organization.

Bianca Cypser is the owner of Complexions Skin Care in Gulfport; she has worked with the founder of Local shops1.com since the beginning. She said since working with the website and participating in their events, it has given her life a new meaning.


-- Ester
localshops1.com

November contest finalists!

In November we asked, what are you most grateful for?

Want to see who won the great prizes from Backyard Getaway in Bradenton and If and Only If in St. Pete? You'll have to wait a few days. Winner will be posted this week, on localshops1.com.

Meanwhile, here are five of our favorite responses:

"I am most thankful for The Word Of God. Whatever problems you face in
life, I know what book can show the answer. Isn't this Reason for the
Season??"
-- Jackie L. Simpson, aka the Old Gold Lady



What or Who Am I Most Grateful For

*Her name is Mimi. She is small, still young and came into my life three
years ago and is the one who I am most grateful for.

It all began one cold, windy November afternoon in a sedate
Clearwater neighborhood. My dear church friend, Edward had called
me and said that I should meet and get to know Mimi. He said
he was interested in finding a new, loving home for her.

When I arrived at Edward's spacious home, I was enthralled by the
many miniature Dachshunds running happily throughout his
living room. I learned that Edward breeds Dachshunds
and when they have reached an adult stage he tries to find good
homes for them.

A happy group of young and adult Doxies yelped, jumped, begged
for attention and,wouldn't your know, managed to set a nice run in
my new pantyhose.

"Well ,which one is Mimi?", I asked Edward. He pointed to a corner
of the living room where, curled up on a large soft pillow was the
sweetest, little Dachshund I had ever seen.

Her soft, long haired coat was reddish-black. Her graceful snout
and dark eyes added to her overall beauty.

I called to her and she slowly, shyly came to me. Edward said it would
be okay for me to pick her up which I did. Once in my lap, Mimi
immediately lay down, gently resting her head on my breast and looking up
at me with her large,sad eyes.

I fell in love at that moment!

Mimi is now my constant companion. We take drives together to a park,
to the grocery store and a drive which she does not always enjoy, to
the vet. Otherwise, she loves to ride in the car.

She sleeps with me at night and even begins to yawn, perk up her ears
sit up straight to alert me that it is time for us to retire. This happens
every evening at 10 o'clock. Mimi must have a built in timer.

Yes, I am so very grateful that Mimi has come into my life. She has
brought joy and love to me.
-- Joanie Simpson


*I am grateful for the ability to BE grateful.

*I have experienced death, loss of love, heartbreak, parenthood, business
success & failure, drastic life changes,
trauma, and many other /seeming/ reasons NOT to be grateful. However, in
the face of all of these outside circumstances
I have learned to go within and find gratitude FOR those experiences and the
lessons I walked away with in the end.
And, with these new eyes my life has become a journey into a daily gratitude
list. So, the act of giving thanks is done
with a smile and a loving heart, which, I extend to my fellow human being
wherever and whenever I can.
I have learned to view the world differently than I once did, and in that
the gift of being truly grateful was born.
Living my life in a state of appreciation is gratitude in action for me.


Jennifer Steele, Spinderellas boutique




I am thankful that my 76 year old father has found some happiness
in working part-time after a rough 2007. In February we lost my Mom (they
had been married for 52 years), a month later I had to have their beloved
dog, Elle, put to sleep and two weeks after that his good friend, Bill, died
in an home accident. Just when he thought he was able to start working
again - we found out he needed quadruple bypass surgery in November. He
came through with flying colors and started working in April - four hours a
day, four days a week. I am grateful he has found some purpose.
-- Linda Flack



*First let me say, we are not always born into the family we want to be in.
As we grow older we can pick who is apart of our family. The one person that
I am most grateful for is a woman who didn't know if she wanted children. I
was dropped into her lap at the age of 5 and I didn't know her anymore then
I knew the other people in my life. She stepped up and took on that role
into the unknown. Uncertain of everything she would do or say. I wasn't born
to her and I was already my own person. She was concerned of the trauma I
had already faced at such a young age. She showed me love, understanding, a
caring touch and always an ear to hear what I had to say. If it had not been
for this wonderful 5 foot 1 very petite but voiceful women who I learned to
call MOM, I would have never known love. She was taken from me way to early
and there was still to much for her to be apart of. I am so grateful that my
mom took a chance on a little damaged 5 year old girl and wrapped me in her
unconditional love. *
-- Tamara Hart

Promoting your business

Tom Shay, a nationally acclaimed writer and business coach, offers marketing tips on his Web site, profitsplus.org ... it's free to browse.

Here's a marketing tip, especially for December:


'Tag team' coupons

December is the month when we see the most cars in the parking lot and you should take advantage of the opportunity to get your message to as many people as possible.

When we first did this in our business, we partnered with another business that was located on one of the out parcels of the shopping center where we were both located; for the most part each business had its' own unique customer base so by working together we could introduce our customers to each other's business.

We created 7 coupons - one for each day of the week, and we used the same 7 coupons for several weeks before making any changes. Each of the coupons were printed on a different color of paper so that a customer shopping on multiple days would easily see they were getting different coupons. One side of the coupon featured one business, and the other side was for the second business.

Each business agreed to hand out coupons to their customers as well as put coupons on the windows of cars parked in the immediate area of each store. This promotion is easy to create and implement, and costs very little.

---

Localshops1.com encourages businesses to work together. It really does benefit everyone.

Please check out our Web site for hundreds of listings. If your store isn't there, you can add it. It's free.

-- Ester Venouziou
localshops1.com

Survey time!

Just a few questions (about shopping, of course!) and you can win $25:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2ers9k9fo2dxqld/start

Let's all show some local love to our shops!

Every year I cringe when I watch the news stories about people that actually SLEEP outside the big ticket stores to get their hands on whatever thing is "it" that year for gift giving. Has the holiday season really become that commercialized?

Maybe I just see another side. I have responded to injuries and assaults in stores when shoppers flip out after Best Buy runs out of iMacs on sale or Target didn't stock enough Bratz castles. And I won't even get into when Walmart doesn't have things at the price they advertised them at. Last season, in the wee hours of Black Friday, I drove through Tyrone on my way back to the station and watched the cops wrestling someone to the ground outside Macy's.

I mean, really. What have we become?

This year, I say we boycott the whole deal. How about spreading the wealth to our local businesses? And get some original gifts for everyone on our list, things that they'll never expect and that no one else will have! One of a kind boutique things, or a gift certificate to that little mom-n-pop place on the corner that you know has the best lasagna. A day of spa gifts from a place that's not on the map, or an awesome coffee gift set from that cafe you love to sit in on a Sunday morning. A handcrafted journal from the local stationary store.

If we all pitched in, this could be the year that we shift the tides. And make it a happy holiday for more than just the department stores.

A bit of Chicago in the heart of Bradenton

Just like my endless mission to find the best hotwings on earth, my other half is always on the lookout for real Chicago-style food. I've been dragged in and out of various hotdogs and pizza joints taste-testing beef sandwiches and such (well, o.k., not dragged per se; I love food).

I think we've found what he has been looking for: Joey D's of Bradenton. This little family owned and operated eatery is tucked in on 14th St West, and admittedly doesn't look like much from the outside. Inside, though, is an impressive shrine to Da Bears. They boast to be the only local place you can actually watch the Chicago football games, and have huge screen TVs on every wall.

But what got me was the smell: that warm, cheesy, baked, meaty, garlic-y goodness that wraps around you when you walk in the door. Pure olfactory heaven.

"I want some of whatever that is that I smell," I told the waitress when it was time to order. It turned about to be their special deep-dish Rush Street Stuffed Pizza, filled with onion, green peppers, mushrooms and sausage. And while it takes 30 to 40 minutes to cook, it was well worth the wait. A medium 14" pie was more than enough for the two of us with leftovers for the next day. A large, I'm told by other patrons, will kill you.

They also have a full menu of other Chicago-style goodies, like Vienna beef hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. My picky husband, who grew up in Chicago, swears that Joey D's is the real deal.

Joey D's is right on the corner of US 41 and Cortez Road, open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays until 11 p.m. Dine-in, take-out or delivery. (941) 753-8900. Give them a try if you're in the neighborhood. Amazingly wonderful good eats!

Or as one customer put it, their pizza is "Un-frickin'-believable!"

We agree.

My traditional Thanksgiving includes lights and siren

Like the rest of the civil service world, us paramedics tend not to get to celebrate holidays as traditionally as we would like.

And if you work nights like I do, Thanksgiving dinner is more often than not a hotdog from 7-Eleven at about 2 a.m. I'm not complaining; it's the nature of the business. I haven't had a Thanksgiving Day off in ten years or better. I've delivered a baby, taken care of umpteen choking victims, gone to fatal wrecks and shootings, and everything in between (except sit down and eat turkey). My mother in law makes me a plate every year, and every year it gets eaten the day after.

But to me, the unusual has become the usual during the holidays.
I'd like to share this bit with you: One year, I was at a bad accident scene in St. Pete that happened in a residential neighborhood at dinnertime. The car was twisted around a tree so badly that it took the fire fighters more than 30 minutes to get the patient extricated out. I was waiting with my equipment, and was aware that families had come out of houses to watch. An older lady asked me how we could do this job on Thanksgiving. My answer is the same it always has been: "How could we not?"

Later at the hospital, my patient safely delivered, I got in the cab of the truck to write my report and almost sat on a plate of food! Turkey and gravy and potatoes and collard greens and stuffing and corn bread! No 7-Eleven hotdogs that night, as my partner and I got to have a feast thanks to that lady, who snuck that food into the ambulance while we busy taking care of the patient. Just one of the little miracles along the way...

So I invite all of you to tell your unusual Thanksgiving stories, as I'm sure there are some out there that need to be told. Log on and share your tale! We all need some little miracles and laughter.

Pick 'em fresh!

With the weather being pleasant and cool during the day, it’s a prime opportunity to take advantage of nature’s fresh bounty. Many fruits and vegetables are in season right now at the local farmer’s markets, bursting with fall’s explosion of colors and flavors. A feast for the eye.

Because I’m a New Englandah, autumn to me means picking it myself; I miss the days when we went out as kids to select pumpkins and gourds, and picked apples from the trees. When times were simpler and slower; and the only rush was the sun going down.

Locally, there are still places you can pick the produce on your own, and load up a basket or two of the freshest stuff around. Dover, Ruskin and Plant City all have u-pick ‘em farms, and there are a few more off of I-4 going towards Orlando.

Closer to home is Hunsader Farms in Bradenton, 5500 C.R. 675, which is about half-way between State Road 64 and State Road 70, about ten miles east of I-75. They’re known for their cantaloupes but have a bevy of other fresh fruits and vegetables. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, they have a U-Pick Hotline at (941) 331-1212 listing the produce and their harvest dates. How convenient is that!

Ready right now are cantaloupes, various citrus fruits, cucumbers, gourds, hard squash, beans, okra, black-eyed peas, zipper peas, peppers, pumpkins, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelons. After December 1, broccoli, cauliflower and Florida sweet onions join the list.

It’s worth throwing a cooler or two in the back of the car and taking the family on a little daytime getaway. Beats a trip to the grocery store any day.

Promoting yourself

Tom Shay, nationally acclaimed writer, speaker and business coach, has tons of ideas to help you promote your business. His Web site is http://www.profitsplus.org/

Here are a couple marketing tips:

Public speaking: Many community organizations need speakers for their meetings. If you sell clothes, you can talk about fabric care and the colors and fashions for the coming season. If you sell auto parts, you can talk about how they can take care of their vehicle to maximize mileage. When you complete your presentation, you can give away samples, have a 'door prize' and leave your business card with attendees.


Advertise your employees: What is one of your biggest competitive advantages? It is likely that you would say it is your employees. So, why not make a point to remind your customers? In your print advertising you could include a picture of an individual with each ad. The copy in the advertisement could have an employee telling why they like a particular product. Your television advertisements could utilize employees as models or the voice of the commercial. Your employees could be the voice of your radio commercials. In the store you can put photos of the employees so that your customers can get to know them on a first name basis.

It's official!

In the Times' business page Monday!!!


Ester Venouziou announces the launch of Local Shopper LLC, P.O. Box 530144, St. Petersburg, at www.localshops1.com. Local Shopper promotes locally owned, independent shops, and previews about 500 stores and restaurants in Manatee, Sarasota, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article905725.ece