Join the ShoLo Effort
As an independent business owner, you support your community on a daily basis. You may have felt the pain of a big box merchant moving into your territory, while your customers and neighbors flock to the competing giant without giving it a second thought. Maybe your customers have mentioned with surprise, “I didn’t know this was a local business!” And hopefully, your customers have also mentioned that they prefer patronizing your shop or restaurant because they know it’s homegrown.
ShoLo has the potential to be a great asset to our customers and each of our businesses. We look forward to the day that our community has a thriving, diverse community of successful independent retailers with a solid community of support behind them. The more businesses that participate, the more impact we will have on our customers and community.
Download the ShoLo application here.
ShoLo Business Members must meet all of the following criteria:
- Base of business operations is in St. Joseph County, Indiana.
- Privately owned.
- Owned in majority by a resident(s) living in St. Joseph County, Indiana, at least 6 months of the year.
- If there is more than one location, the base of operations or main corporate office resides in St. Joseph County, Indiana.
- Business owners are autonomous to make decisions about the business at all levels, including the name, look and feel of business (signage, logo, facade, menu, etc.), products or services carried or produced, where inventory is purchased, marketing and advertising, accounting and legal services, and distribution of profits.
Please see our note regarding franchises by clicking here.
Membership Levels and Dues, per location:
- Business Member: $120 per year
- Sustaining Member: $500+ per year
- Non-profit / Community Organization Member: $60 per year
- Individual Supporter: $25 per year
- includes anyone interested in supporting the ShoLo effort as an individual, not a business; individuals are listed on the ShoLo Web site (no link).
Member Benefits include:
- increased business due to public education as to why it’s important to support independent, locally owned businesses
- a tasteful, removable window ShoLo decal, identifying your business as independent;
- being part of a network of businesses that support and patronize each other;
- group buying and advertising;
- access to our bag/check inserts that thank your customer for shopping locally and educate them on the benefits of doing so;
- a listing on the ShoLo Web site by category, linking to your site and identifying your business as locally owned;
- a listing in the ShoLo directory (scheduled for publication in 2010);
- ShoLo logos for use on your Web site and promotional materials; and
- the chance to participate in our exciting grass roots Shop Locally campaign. We can change our community for the better, one local business at a time!
Download the ShoLo application here.
There is strength in numbers, and together we can make an impact on our community.