An update on Airdrie's very own shop local website

Written by Marissa Ochsner Thursday, Feb 10 2022, 2:47 PM

With its soft launch in the summer of 2021, airdrie.chambermarket.ca continues to grow in popularity.

When the COVID-19 Pandemic first hit and multiple rounds of public health guidelines came as a result, there was a big emphasis in Airdrie on supporting local businesses.

Since March of 2020, many local businesses had to close in compliance with various rounds of public health guidelines while big-box franchises found ways to consistently remain open. Noticing the negative impact this was having on entrepreneurs and business owners in the community, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce came up with the idea for a website to buy, and sell, locally made products online.

The Airdrie Chamber of Commerce Shop Local

Tammy Block, the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, says the Airdrie Chamber was one of the first to launch their Shop Local website to get the province-wide initiative off the ground.  

Block says all the Chambers Of Commerce in Alberta are seeing big success with their respective websites, including Airdrie. 

“Province-wide we see tens of thousands of people going onto the sites every day. In Airdrie, right now, we have over 40 vendors on the platform and over 750 products.” 

Airdrie businesses who want to set up an online store through the Shop Local Website, even if they’re still running out of a physical store, are encouraged to reach out and become a part of airdrie.chambermarket.ca. 

“We are always looking for more vendors to get on there as well it’s a really good opportunity for vendors to get online and sell their products to expand their reach both locally and across the province.” 

According to Block, selling something on the website comes with a small transaction fee that is less than GST.