Shopping Local Online in Canada

1. You support your community: Keeping that money in the neighbourhood benefits small business owners, employees, and residents. Independent shops often participate in community events and donate to fundraisers. Even locally-owned franchise stores often return the favour by contributing to your neighbourhood in these big ways. 
    
2. You have access to one-of-a-kind gifts: Small stores often feature unique gifts by local artists that are hard to find anywhere else. Even if there’s a present you’re looking for that’s easy to find, check your local shops first. You may find that toy or book in a neighbourhood store for about the same price.
    
3. You help COVID-impacted businesses stay afloat: COVID-19 restrictions disproportionately hurt small businesses in Canada. Your purchase can help your favourite stories in your community stay open.
    
4. There's no wait for your gift: Whether you shop online or call the store, many shops are offering immediate curbside pickup for in-store items. Even Amazon Prime can’t move that fast.

The pandemic-caused economic shutdown sparked a wake-up call for many independent shops. Those without a web presence needed to move quickly. Thankfully, programs like Digital Main Street coordinated dozens of companies to help build an online presence for small businesses. With that in mind, here are some easy ways you can shop local without leaving the house. 

Shop Not-Amazon.ca

Shoppers often need to take initiative to seek out their local businesses' online storefronts—and it's often difficult to know where to start. Historically, there’s been no “digital mall” where you can find many shops in one place, making it understandable why many Canadians choose to simply load up at a one-stop online store like Amazon or Costco. Thankfully, Not-Amazon.ca gives consumers in select cities a better option.

Thrown together in days and curated by a single person per city, Not-Amazon.ca links out to hundreds (possibly thousands) of independent online storefronts. Businesses are sorted by city (currently Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Halifax) and 28 different categories, including books, art, fun + games, self-care, sustainable gifts, and even pet shops.

The design is intentionally minimal yet clean and comprehensive. And even if you’ve visited this site before, check it out again—there’s a backlog of hundreds of more stores, with new shops appearing every day.

Your Local BIA (BIZ or ZDC)

Nearly every neighbourhood across Canada has at least one main street with small, independent shops. Most of these areas have a Business Improvement Association/Area/Zone (BIA/BIZ) or zone d’amélioration commerciale (ZDC). Among other services, these non-profit organizations often maintain an online directory of independent shops, professionals, and even chain stores in the area.

To be honest, most of the directories we’ve found aren’t optimized for online shopping, but it’s still an excellent way to find names of independent small businesses in your area. Companies like myLOCAL are taking up the effort to digitize local listings. There are two sites, myLOCAL Vancouver and myLOCAL Toronto, but the system can be repurposed for any community that wishes to partner with myLOCAL. ShopYourNeighbourhood uses the same system to offer convenient online listings for local shops in southwestern Ontario areas.

Independent Retail Gift Cards

Most years, gift cards can feel thoughtless… but these are weird times. Buying a gift card can actually be uniquely generous this year.

A gift card from a small business benefits:

1. You: There's no need to go outside, risk your health, or take a lot of time to shop. 
    
2. The recipient: Choosing a local store allows them the freedom to pick out the perfect gift at their leisure. 
    
3. The store: With so many small businesses suffering economic hardship, many are turning to gift card sales in order to help balance the books.

Another plus? Many of these gift cards can also be spent online, giving your friends and loved ones their own opportunity to shop conveniently and safely.

Restaurant Gift Cards

Just like with retail shops, your favourite local restaurants and cafes may sell gift cards or certificates on their website. Especially when many of us have been cooking at home more, a voucher to a local eatery gives you the option to provide a mid-week break to a deserving, overworked parent (we see you!) while supporting dozens of your fellow residents who work in one of the hardest-hit industries of the pandemic.

Looking for a way to give back even more? Look for restaurant gift cards backed by the Labatt Brewing Company Limited. The makers of Stella Artois launched RallyForRestaurants.ca earlier this year. The site enables restaurant-goers the opportunity to support their favourite food joints.

When you buy a $25 or $50 gift card, Stella Artois will include a bonus $10 gift card for the same establishment. Use it yourself or send both to a loved one to use for an extra special meal. The purchase is all digital. There are participating restaurants across every province, so it’s uniquely easy to buy a small business gift card near the recipient no matter how far away they live from you.

Online Consignment Stores

Anyone who’s watched the latter half of Schitt’s Creek is familiar with David’s consignment shop, “Rose Apothecary.” Many neighbourhoods in Canada have a consignment shop, and they’re all unique. Most sell vintage fashion, thrift items, and accessories, but some also offer gifts and home décor made by local artists.

With the reality of 2020, many of these shops have gone online, where you can preview hundreds of one-of-a-kind gifts. Here are a few online consignments stores we’ve found. Feel free to add more in the comments at the bottom of this guide so more people can find these hidden gems.

• Shop Local CANADA – Wide selection of curated listings across the country
• Front and Company – Vancouver, BC
• Good Intentions – Toronto, ON

Amazon Canada Storefronts

Amazon Canada Storefronts provides the tools for small business owners to set up an online shop and sell to anywhere in Canada. Order processing and delivery are handled by Amazon, relieving shop owners of some of the most laborious points of running an online business.

You’ll find curated collections of home & kitchen products, toys for kids, electronic gadgets for grown-ups, and jewellery for that someone special. Shoppers also have the option to browse women-owned shops, handmade products and family-focused businesses.

The irony is not lost on us that we started this guide recommending a site that seeks to provide an alternative to Amazon, then finishing on Amazon itself. However, the site features 30,000 Canadian third-party sellers to choose from. This is a good option for rural Canadians who want to keep their dollars in Canada but find it difficult to shop locally online.

Tips for Shopping Local This Year