Tiny But Mighty is Live in CDNY! A new e-commerce website for local small business!

(Originally posted 9/20/23 on original website - updated 09/04/24)

If you are a small business owner or patron, you are in the right place!

I am beyond thrilled to announce that we are finally launching our new small business that caters to small businesses in the Capital District of New York State! My name is Ericka, but you can call me E, that way you never have to worry about misspelling my name! Let me explain the missions I am on as I launch this company.

Mission 1: Connect Small Businesses!

When I first moved up here for work in 2020, I was shocked by the number of small businesses that didn't have e-commerce attached to their websites. This has been an ongoing issue when trying to shop small more frequently. Add to that how spread out things are and it is a recipe for HUGE barriers to shopping with small businesses! My first order of business is to connect some of the small businesses in the area to e-commerce in ways that fit their needs. This might look like a fully managed service or an initial setup and chat and freedom to get set up on your own. If you are an owner or employee of a small business in need of this support, please make sure to fill out the "work with us" form on the homepage or email us at mainstreetemarket@gmail.com!

I forgot to mention, vendors won't pay to get set up in the market, not like the vendor fair you spent $500 on just to sweat your butt off, spend $100 supporting other small businesses, and sell three items for a net loss of $20 on the day because it was a million degrees and no one wanted to shop in that kind of weather! You don't pay until something sells. That's better than your own website when you think about it from a cost/maintenance standpoint...

Mission 2: Make it easier for customers to shop small!

At the beginning of this year, I made a resolution to shop small more often because of all of the wonderful boutiques and small businesses that exist in this region. To my dismay, this was almost an insurmountable undertaking. That is due to not just the e-commerce barriers, but also due to the sprawl of the area. If I wanted to get everything I needed for an occasion from small businesses only, it would have been a full-time job unto itself! After talking to other folks in the area, I knew I wasn't alone and that finding ways to make the region seem smaller would be an important step to attaining the goal of shopping more with small businesses. That is why I am also working to identify local pickup locations that will be on your way home from work where you will soon be able to pickup your orders from various participating small businesses in one stop! If you have a business that you think would make an excellent candidate for partnering with us as a pickup location, please fill out the "work with us" form on the homepage! If you have an idea for a location as a customer of theirs (or you drive past it everyday), please let us know your thoughts in the comments!

I want to hear from owners in the area about what they need support with!

While I know that e-commerce can extend your reach to new customers, it isn't the only issue that small businesses in this area are facing. I have a few other tricks up my sleeve (more to come on those soon), but I want to make sure that I hear from you! Let's build a community on this page and in real life that will help to support the success of every small business owner in the area!

If you feel comfortable, I would love to know more about what services you think would help you the most in the comments here! Let's get the discussion started!

"I'm here to connect small businesses with new customers through a shared e-commerce website. Like a vendor market without the walking, finding a parking spot, or worrying about the weather! "