The season is behind you. Hopefully, there’s not a lot of extra inventory
sitting on your shelves or in the storeroom. But if you do have some items
that Santa just did not dig this year, Little Independent may just have a
solution.
Little Independent is a Chicago-based online marketplace for sale items
at independent retail stores. Established in 2010, its mission is to be an
advocate for independent retailers and to give savvy shoppers an easier
way to find great independent stores and sale merchandise. Right now,
it has more than 50 stores in seven states, selling their wares.
The site’s founder, Lesley Tweedie, owns a neighborhood bike shop in
Chicago with her husband. The concept for the site was born as a way to
help sell their own stagnant merchandise –
particularly a bike helmet that simply would
not make it off the counter and out the door.
“I found fellow storeowners have the same
issue. Even those that have e-commerce
Web sites sometimes find themselves with
an item that lingers too long,” Tweedie
notes. “The available listing Web sites where
I could reach a wider audience had high fees
and complicated setup processes. There was
no inexpensive and simple-to-use online
marketplace just for independent stores like
mine.”
She designed the site to be a virtual Main
Street with stores creating their own profiles
illustrating their brick-and-mortar presence
and promoting the overall theme of shopping
independent stores.
“We are trying to create an online equiva-
lent to a Main Street shopping experience,”
says Tweedie, “giving those locally owned
independent stores the opportunity to work
together and to amplify their voices. There
is a community aspect among the retailers
who belong to Little Independent.”
To get started, the company offers a risk-
free trial with three free listings at sign-up.
Then you can figure out if it’s the right fit
and purchase additional listings from there.
Unlike other online venues, Little Indepen-
dent does not take a percentage of sales,
the only cost is simply that of the listing,
Requirements to list on Little Independent
