You've heard it from us before: shop local.
From the Tampa Independent Business Alliance to my own search for some locally-bought toilet paper, Creative Loafing has championed the cause of buying from your mom-and-pops and avoiding Walmart at all costs.
Now, you have another website to help you shop responsibly: Localshops1.com. (Not sure what the "1" is for.)
A creation of St. Pete resident Ester Venouziou, the Local Shopper website has listings for seven Florida counties. There's already about 400 businesses listed on the site.
Check it out here.
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2008.
