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    • Design Your Dream Home
    • Home Plans
    • Custom Homes Gallery
  • Commerical
  • About Us
    • Testimonials
    • Our Blog
  • Get Your Project Started
Lessard Builders Logo
  • Residential
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  • Commerical
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  • Get Your Project Started
Get Your Project Started

Shop Small

November 25, 2014 by scstarter

In 2010 American Express launched a Small Business Saturday campaign to encourage consumers to remember the little local guys during the holiday shopping season. Small Business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving and since 2010 the trend has grown exponentially. American Express has done a great job with providing marketing tools to the small businesses to help communicate the “Shop Small” message to local communities and simultaneously offer a Small Business Saturday incentive to bring people to their store. If you are purchasing items with your American Express card, you can register you card ahead of time to receive statement credits by purchasing at verified small businesses.

Shop Small at All Climate Storage Center
All Climate Storage Center: Shop Small Marketing Image

We think that you should shop small all year round but love that there is a day dedicated to supporting small business. It helps create awareness in our small state and gives small business owners a platform to say what they do and why they do it.

This post’s intention is to remind you the importance of living local, shopping small and supporting the community you live in. You’ll see statistics pulled from resources around the web, primarily the American Express Open Website. I’ve also created #ShopSmall and #LiveLocal images specific to Delaware. Feel free to use them and share them with your community Thanksgiving week and throughout the year!

Small Business Helps Community

One more thing – share with us some of your favorite places to eat and shop small on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year. If you want to share why one of the reasons you will shop small this Saturday- we’d love to hear your thoughts too!

I’ll go first! I love the experience that comes with shopping small – the “mom and pop shop” feel that you get from a unique atmosphere and friendly, knowledgeable service. I love that you can talk to the owners and truly see what makes them so passionate and thrilled to do what they do. They are always asking for feedback and trying to see what they can do to fine tune the art of their industry.

Here are a few of my favorite “little (but awesome!) local guys” in Delaware:

Nottinghill Coffee, Lewes, Delaware
Teller Wines, Lewes, Delaware
Chateleine’s (Jewelry), Lewes, Delaware
a (MUSE.), Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Browseabout Books, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Pickled Pig Pub, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Pig + Fish, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

The Backyard, Milton, Delaware
Dolce Coffee & Bakery, Milford, Delaware
Abbott’s Grill, Milford, Delaware

Witt Brother’s Market, Wyoming Delaware
Delaware Bay Trading Company, Camden, Delaware
Fifer’s Orchard, Wyoming, Delaware
TA Farms, Wyoming, Delaware

Bayard Pharmacy, Dover Delaware
Bel Boutique, Dover Delaware
Frankfurt Bakery & Deli, Dover Delaware
Dinos & Darlings, Dover, Delaware
Restaurant 55, Dover, Delaware
Kaizen Karate Academy, Dover, Delaware

Painted Stave Distillery, Smyrna, Delaware
The Young Bean Cafe, Clayton, Delaware
Willey Farms, Townsend, Delaware
Cantwell’s Tavern, Odessa, Delaware

1861 Gastropub, Middletown, Delaware
First & Little Boutique, Middletown, Delaware
Purple Sage Tea, Middletown, Delaware
Fromage Cheese Shop, Middletown, Delaware
La Piazza Italian Restaurant, Middletown, Delaware

Soffritos Italian Grill, Newark, Delaware
The Corner Bistro, Wilmington, Delaware
BellaVista Trattoria & Pizzeria, Wilmington, Delaware

Outside of Delaware:
We had such an amazing time here that they are certainly worth mentioning to remember the little guys when you are on vacation too!

Oh My Chocolate, Stevensville, Maryland
Southsides Bar & Grill, Chesapeake City, Maryland
The Aldrich House, Williamsburg Virginia
Tria Wine Bar, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
The Lotus Guest House, Provincetown Cape Cod Massachusetts
The Pickle Jar Kitchen, Falmouth, Cape Cod Massachusetts
The Quahog Dive Bar, Falmouth, Cape Cod Massachusetts

I’d love to hear your favorite places to live local!

Shop Small Business Delaware

Shop Small Delaware

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Shop Small Infographic

Shop Small Live Delaware

Filed Under: Events, Featured, Live Delaware, Shop Tagged With: Community, Delaware, lewes delaware community, Live Local, Middletown, rehoboth, Shop Small, Small Business, Small Business Saturday

April 28, 2014 by scstarter

Keep It Local Delaware

Over the past few years, Delaware has been making headlines as one of the “best places to live” and “best places to retire” due to affordable property taxes, low income tax and reasonable travel time to Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C. While these are the most talked about features that bring visitors to our state, those that live or spend a little extra time here understand why people fall in love with Delaware’s small town charm. From the beaches Lewes and Rehoboth to the capital, downtown Dover and the northern towns of the state like Middletown, Greenville and Trolley Square, there are so many local shops, restaurants and events distinctive to Delaware. There is always an opportunity to catch a nearby event like peach festivals, brewery tours, wine tastings, music festivals, the infamous Apple Scrapple Festival and of course, the good ol’ Punkin Chunkin.

5 Reasons to Live Local Delaware

1. Preserve Small Town Character & History

Delaware has the small town feel and historical character that you see on postcards with brick buildings, authentic cedar shake exteriors, lighthouses, cobblestone roads and traditional farm houses. Local business owners are more willing to keep the historical factor of the area, striving to blend in artistically with the surrounding town compared to the bigger “box” stores looking to replicate their chain of nationwide stores.

2. Locals Give Back To The Community

According to NFIB research, more than 9 in 10 small businesses owners give back to community. Studies show that local non-profits receive substantial continued support from locally owned and operated businesses. Local business owners care about the community they live in and often serve on boards to support numerous causes and community interests.

3. What Goes Around Comes Around 

Money spent locally has 3 times the impact on a community than dollars spent in large chains or other places. The concept is fairly straightforward, if you shop at locally owned and operated businesses, your dollars provide for local families, schools, community events and non-profits.

4. Shop Local To Keep A Relevant Supply Of (Diverse) Products

I’ll never forget the day that I stopped into the nearest Delaware Wal-mart to grab Old Bay for a birthday crab feast we were hosting and they did not have it available.  This scenario is a prime example of how national stores tend to stock items based on regional or national numbers, not by local demand. Local stores tend to have a broader range of choices because they cater to the needs of local people. In most cases, they will even start carrying a new product per your request.

5. Mom & Pop Shops: Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Who doesn’t love the “mom and pop shop” in their town? They add a level of character and friendly service exclusive to their town and community. Local business owners view their work as an extension of themselves and bring an extra level of care to what they do. They get to know who you are and if there is a question or concern, you are only a few people away from the decision makers. You won’t have to submit a claim, complain on social media or call a 1 800 number repeatedly to receive service.

 

These are just few of the many benefits that come with supporting the area we live in. Do you try to “keep it local”? What would you add to this list? 

 

Thank you for reading Live Delaware! We hope you’ll visit often. You might even find or discover a new favorite place to eat, shop or live! Have a favorite local business, non-profits or event in Delaware? We’d love to hear about them. You can fill out this referral questionnaire, tweet them to us or start a discussion in the comments below!

Don’t forget to support the local small businesses who support the area where you live – Live Local Delaware!

 

Filed Under: Build, Eat, Featured, Live Delaware, Shop Tagged With: Build Local Delaware, Delaware, Eat Local, Keep It Local, live delaware, Live Local, Live Local Delaware, Shop Local, Shop Small, Shop Small Delaware, Support Local Business

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Douglas Family

It has been 5 months since we took possession of our Lessard built home. We are pleased Lessard was our chosen builder as the house more than meets all of our expectations. From the workmanship, to the paint, the floors, the trim, the appliances and the total layout, we are extremely pleased. The Lessard family was there, by our side during all phases and remains a mere phone call away now that we are in. We, without reservation or hesitation, recommend Lessard Builders to anyone thinking about building their dream home. You will not be disappointed!

Tom and Gloria Douglas

Ocean View, Delaware

Johnson Family

The entire Lessard team was amazing in helping us build the house of our dreams. From our very first meeting with them and throughout the process, they were extremely responsive. Their attention to detail was incomparable. We had a vision and they made it happen!

John and Denise Johnson

Lewes, Delaware

King family home

When we walked in the door of the Lessard model we were greeted by the builder himself and his daughter. We realized this clearly was a family business where the homes were built with pride, and it was never lost on my mother and I that our home was built as though we were family. My home is so well constructed that when the nor’easters blow at 65mph, my draperies never waft! We made so many changes to our home that I think the only original walls were the exterior, yet Lessard Builders didn’t charge us for rearranging the floor plan and moving all those walls. The Lessard team worked with us for over a year as we worked our floor plan to suit our needs and there was never a sense of rush or urgency. I’ve never had so much fun and our home turned out absolutely perfect.

Sara and Jo King

Lewes, Delaware

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