Tag Archives: keep more purchase dollars local

Halifax Guide to Local International Food Stores

vLife Blog. Halifax Guide: Small Local International Food Stores. Written by Sarah van Achte. Globe cut in half with fresh peppers, an avocado, tomatoes, and fresh lettuce in between the two halves.

Hey again! We all have heard of Gateway by now, living in and around Nova Scotia. It is inarguably the most well-known independent grocery store in Nova Scotia. But did you know there are others? Today, I’m going to highlight different independent grocery stores that are focused on international food. For all of you adventurous […]

The Many Benefits of Buying Local

Friends happily looking online together in a local cafe. vLife Blog The Many Benefits of Buying Local

We’ve been hearing more and more about the benefits of buying local lately. And we’re one of the steadfast contributors to this important conversation here at vLife. Why? Because research has shown that by buying locally sourced products, you’re supporting your fellow community members, growing your local economy, and reducing your carbon footprint. So, it […]

Why Does Supporting SMALL Local Businesses Matter?

2023-01-17 vLife Blog images Benefits of Buying Small and Local

Big Corporate Local or Small Indie Local? “Supporting local” doesn’t necessarily mean supporting small local businesses in your community. “Local” is term that gets tossed around a lot lately. In fact, it’s used so much that it’s become a little kitsch. But what does it really mean? Well, technically, local can be used to refer […]

Real Challenges of Being a Small Business Owner

Toronto Skyline Fall Colours. 2022-12-28 Blog featured image Real Challenges of Small Business Owners in Toronto

They say money makes the world go round. For the most part, the phrase is true. But to say just big money turns the wheel is wrong. Small businesses and their owners make up 40% of the Canadian GDP and employ 60% of all Canadians. From small bakeries to the rise of online shops, small […]

Nova Scotian Local Deals this Canadian Black Friday & Small Business Saturday

2022 vLife blog image. Nova Scotia Local Black Friday Deals two shoppers looking into shopping bags Nov 2022

Here we go again, Canadian Black Friday shopping. We’ve all seen those clips on YouTube – the ones of endless shoppers and pandemonium in a Walmart. Don’t get me wrong. Black Friday is tempting. I have had the same laptop for longer than Cyber Monday has even existed. And, unfortunately, even a sustainability nerd like […]

vLife’s Top 5 March Break Activities for 2022

vLife Blog Top 5 March Break Activities for 2022 image

Nine whole days of March Break activities… fun for the whooooole family. Yes, it’s that special time of year again… and our third pandemic March Break. The kids are home, you’re too scared of being trapped in a hotel room with your entire family for a week to actually fly anywhere, AND if you have […]

Free Delivery & Curbside Pickup: Small Businesses Adapt

While we “Stay the Blazes Home” in Nova Scotia, free delivery and curbside pick-up are playing a vital role in sustaining our communities. It’s impressive how quickly and efficiently small indie businesses are pivoting to keep safely servicing their customers. I’m also heartened by the growing number of community members using these services to support […]

Support Local with Small Indie Gift Offerings for the Holidays

Buy Local for the Holidays over Blue Presents with snow and star filter

We couldn’t agree more! The run up to the winter festive season is a wonderful time of year here in Nova Scotia. And a great opportunity to explore more small indie gift options. Whether you’re a watching Holiday Movies on repeat from Nov 1st or rushing to get your last-minute shopping done on Dec 24th. […]

Finding More Small Local Business Options Online

Buy Local

Current Solutions to Finding Small Local Providers Are you a buy-local shopper who has trouble finding small local businesses online? We’ve chatted with many passionate buy local shoppers about how they typically access new small local business options. The overwhelming majority of them stated online searches, stumbling across, and word-of-mouth as their main methods. I […]