‘Shop Where I Live’ Places Pierce County Small Businesses in a Virtual Storefront

Every $67 spent by Pierce County residents stays here. Pierce County Economic Development (PCED) knows how much convenience and access matter for our shoppers, so we’ve designed our website to make it easier for residents to buy products and services from locally owned and operated companies. 

Our Shop Where I Live website is our new online marketplace to connect businesses and consumers. These connections empower everyone to invest in our community and grow new Pierce County businesses as they connect with small companies and artisans they love. 

Resources for Customers 

Our shop local page is far more than an address book; this storefront has the same accessibility and convenience as major retailers. Visitors can browse, order, and file customer service tickets without leaving the site. Busy citizens who need more spare time to research new businesses can find inventory and information here as more entrepreneurs arrive in our community. 

We understand most customers can’t enjoy enriching community exploration in their precious leisure time. Our Shop Where I Live program thus means more than shopping for the neighborhood. Citizens can now shop local from the comfort of their own homes.

Resources for Businesses

Pierce County businesses can list and sell up to 50 shop products for free on our website. Registration with our alternative to external digital storefronts allows busy entrepreneurs in the early stages of opening a business to expand their online footprint while focusing on other areas. Each directory entry contains tailored photos, contact information, location, and a brief bio to share critical information with local consumers immediately.  

This format provides new business owners with invaluable cost- and time-saving resources to help them grow. Half of all new businesses close their doors within their first five years; PCED is determined to help as many businesses become community mainstays as possible.

Immediate Online Legitimacy 

Customers enjoy convenience and prefer to shop with businesses they trust. Our shopping listings for all local businesses create a digital main street that showcases the hard work of Pierce County’s fine entrepreneurs in one place. 

A listing on the PCED online store allows new entrepreneurs to join this space, exposing them to an established customer base when they open their doors. A new business in our directory also gains immediate legitimacy as it stands next to the pillars of our community.  

Reduced Startup Costs 

Modern businesses must construct a professional website to attract customers, which pulls time and attention from the tumultuous early days of a business. PCED now handles this essential part of modern business.

A new vendor can offer its bestselling products from our website rather than construct their own storefront. Convenient links to their page also direct interested customers to their bio and contact information—free, convenient advertising. Introducing new businesses immediately helps customers connect with them and bring them to brick-and-mortar locations at lower cost than flyers, billboards, or other traditional advertisements. 

Pierce County Treats Digital Presence as a Public Service for Local Businesses

Our local businesses are the lifeblood of our community and the reason for the prosperity that allows families to grow here. We encourage any vendors who need to be added to our directory to contact us for more information on our online marketplace.