Whatever works

Small business want leads. It is amazing just what they will do for them. This was a great find in the parking lot of Rustic Canyon one day. This guy had literally glued a business card holder to the door of his car so people could pick up a card. It is this agreesiveness in doing things that work to drive new customers, we want to tap into at MerchantCircle.

New release

We have 14 Million Blogs out there now for local merchants all over the country so they can tell thier story about how they deliver value to the local community. We think every small merchant has something they want to say about thier community, thier customers, thier events, or maybe they just want to talk about a sale. Imagine what happens when 14M local merchants are publishing thier own local newspaper online and letting everyone in town have access to it. Blogging has had a huge impact on communication and dialogue around the world, we now want to take that to main street.

One year anniversary of Mikado

The crew goes to lunch all most every day in Los Altos. Today, we helped celebrate Mikado's one year anniversay. (We love their coupons!)

Satura Cakes is about to open in Los Altos

Our offices are right across the street from Satura Cakes We've been watching their progress every day and wait with much anticipation for their opening. Our Vice President of Marketing, the sweet tooth of MerchantCircle, is especially excited.

A business bulletin board

We have all seen this in our favorite local joints. A set of business cards from other local merchants posted on a Bulletin Board. In fact, even some big mega chains like Starbucks have tried to do this. This picture is from my favorite BBQ place in Fairhope, Alabama. Ben Jr's There are a good 50 businesses listed on this, and if you are looking for a handyman, this is the place to look. At MerchantCircle we are trying to allow local merchants to better leverage the one advantage they have, they are local by taking these same common behaviors and taking them online. No what if you could post your business card in every local business in 15 seconds. Well you can with MerchantCircle.

Table-top marketing

This is a table top in Julwins in Fairhope, Alabama. It is interesting to see the different creative approaches that local businesses will take to drive local revenue. Putting your ad on a local resturants table top or menu is an old classic. By the way Julwins has been around for a long time. The quality of the food comes and goes but the character of the people eating there is more interesting every year. I can promise you if you want to have a conversation about people running a specific red light, you can have a quick conversation with a local officer over coffee and expect action that afternoon.

Lunch at Maltby's

So we all took a walk around for lunch today. We tried Maltbys It is clearly a popular local eatery for lunch. It has great real home style food and they did not mind when we spent 2 hours doing the executive staff discussion after lunch.

New MerchantCircle release!

So we released our new stuff this week. The blog functionality is really interesting. If you look at what Elvas (see Elvas Listing) has done here on Elva's blog, you will get an idea of the potential power of small businesses communicating with each other and their local consumers this way.

We have a lot of work left, but we are up to it. Let us know if you have ideas or feedback. As I watch Lou's Village (which has been around since 1946) look to close shop along side of another Starbucks showing up in Willow Glen, I see the continuing destruction of unique local neighborhoods.

Hopefully our simple product can help local merchants better use the one advantage they have that the mega-brands cannot steal, that they are in fact local.

"The Little Man"

As I spent some time this weekend getting prepared for Halloween, I had a great breakfast at the Sonoma Chicken Coop in Campbell, Calif.. It is technically a chain, but there are only two here in San Francisco Bay Area. It was a great place to watch the Raiders beat Tennessee.

I was walking downtown in Campbell among the local businesses at the farmers market, and saw quite a few great local merchants, like GrendelSweets. Campbell has done a great job of protecting a real downtown area in the middle of one of the largest metro areas in the country. Reminds me a lot of the Alan Jackson sound on the little man. One of the lines goes something like this...

Now the court square's just a set of streets

That the people go round but they seldom think


Bout the little man that built this town

Before the big money shut em down

And killed the little man

Oh the little man

You just have to wonder what happens if small merchants don't find ways to innovate and take on the big box stores out there, leaving the local streets with none of the businesses built by the little man.

"Follow me to Kepler's. It's our bookstore."

THAT'S THE SLOGAN on the back of the new, black t-shirts at Kepler's Bookstore in Menlo Park, Calif. The beloved independent bookstore just recently reopened after a bevy of community members helped pitch in with energy, enthusiasm and investment.

Pictures from the Save Kepler's bookstore rally. See more on Flickr.

It's a great demonstration of just how important local businesses are to communities - how they're often at the center of where families spend time, where customers spend money, and where all that investment is returned in a stronger local community. (Check out the pictures from the Save Kepler's community rally.)

Kepler's is in a great location in Menlo Park, and families often pop into the bookstore after grabbing some food at nearby at Cafe Borrone. Kepler's is the kind of bookstore I'm sure you've seen in your hometown, too. Bookstores like the Tattered Cover in Denver, Colo. or Dawn Treader Book Shop in Ann Arbor, Mich. Or Midnight Special Bookstore on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif. (a great place to see stars while perusing your literary fancy.)

Kepler's closed suddenly earlier this year, much to the community's surprise. As a result, passionate customers and volunteers chipped in, helped build a new business plan and marketing strategy, and raised money to get the bookstore back on its feet. In a demonstration of how beloved the bookstore is, on the day of its reopening, it sold five times more books than usual.

The community depends on these businesses for its relationships to flourish. The businesses depend on these local customers to stay in business. It's a symbiotic relationship that pays dividends in more ways than cash.

Let me know the names of your favorite local bookstores, and we'll print them in our next blog post.

Welcome to MerchantCircle!

Welcome to MerchantCircle!

We're excited to open the doors to what we believe is a better way of helping local businesses help each other, better compete with the big guys and ultimately, build a stronger tie between businesses and the communities they serve.

Local businesses have always been a very strong part of our lives.

Ben's Favorite Local Businesses

"I remember growing up with all the local businesses in my hometown of Fairhope, Alabama. I often spent Saturday chatting up the high school football team's prospects while getting a haircut at Ken and Vernon's on Fairhope Avenue, and then afterward, grabbing a burger at our family barbecue joint, Ben Jr.'s on Section Street. Local businesses are where we spend family time together. Of course there were other local businesses that were important to me that are not there anymore as well, such as Daphne Pharmacy where they not only opened in the middle of the night to bring me medicine but also where I started working at 13."

Wayne's Favorite Local Businesses:

"For me, local businesses have always been the best place to help me figure out how to fix things at my house. I'm often at Tuggey's hardware store on 24th Street in San Francisco checking out fixtures or tools. The folks at West Coast Video always have the best recommendations for new hit movies and hidden older gems. I only get that kind of help from my local neighborhood merchants."

These merchants were always the experts on the neighborhood, with great referrals and leads to other local businesses. They were the places where we spent our money and our time, all the while developing strong memories and bonds with our community.

Now, we're really thrilled to help these local merchants go further, become more successful and gain a stronger presence in their online and offline neighborhoods. We've talked with hundreds of local merchants who have said they want better ways to connect with each other and more efficient ways of reaching customers. Customers have said they want something that's more than just a yellow pages listing. MerchantCircle is happy to provide that solution for both merchants and consumers. Today is just the beginning, and many new features and services are planned for MerchantCircle in the coming weeks.

We believe the following ideas, and you'll hear us talking more about them in the future:

1. Local merchants working together can compete with the big guys.
2. Merchants want to help other merchants be more successful.
3. The community is a big part of what makes local business so compelling.
4. Customers love merchants who provide special deals and insights.

Here's where we need your help. We're counting on your feedback, thoughts, ideas and critiques to help us focus on what's most important. Let us know what features you want and need. Send your thoughts to feedback@merchantcircle.com, or write them here on our blog. We'll read all of them, and do our best to frequently respond.

Thanks again for all your support, and we look forward to seeing you in your neighborhood soon.

Warm Regards,

Ben T. Smith, IV and Wayne Yamamoto
Co-founders, MerchantCircle.com