Press Release
Shop Online with Main Street Businesses Before U.S. Postal Service Holiday Shipping Deadline
Washington, D.C., December 8, 2006—The holiday shopping rush is in full swing – but online shoppers still have time to purchase items from www.shopmainstreet.org, a directory of businesses located in revitalized Main Street communities throughout the nation. The interactive website allows shoppers to search Main Street retailers by state or by merchandise category.
National Trust Main Street Center encourages people to patronize Main Street businesses, which include small, independent merchants who offer greater personalized customer service and a larger variety of unique items not often found in chain stores,” says Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center. “Many Main Street businesses pride themselves on excellent customer service and value going the extra mile to make shopping with them a positive experience. With this directory, shoppers can easily link to businesses and enjoy this experience online.”
For many people, patronizing Main Street merchants is “experience shopping,” allowing them to interact with the people who have traditionally constituted the economic lifeblood of the community. The merchants, artists and entrepreneurs who work on Main Street help build community character, boost the local economy, and often reflect local heritage in both their merchandise and the historic buildings they occupy. By shopping on Main Street, people send a strong message that they value independent businesses and the atmosphere of the older shopping districts in which they are located. By spending holiday shopping dollars with Main Street businesses, either online or by visiting the shops, they make a real contribution to the economic health of the businesses as well as the historic buildings and historic district.
For more information contact: David Tully, Webmaster, National Trust Main Street Center, 202-588-6020.