Locavore’s founder, Caroline Weaver, is a former shopkeeper whose passion lies in supporting small businesses and helping shoppers understand the value of a dollar spent locally. In a world where online shopping and big box stores dominate, The Locavore Guide serves to champion the little guy and give people the ability to connect more intentionally with their neighborhood. Determined to make this dream a reality, Caroline spent a year walking (literally) all 5 boroughs jotting down every local shop she came across. The result is an organized, searchable, unbiased behemoth of a directory covering over 10,000 small businesses. And it’s free for all to use.

Caroline’s approach to this directory inspired our design thinking. With each shop being found on foot and hand-documented, it was important that the brand and website feel just as personal and intentionally removed from technology. For the brand, we were inspired by archival NYC yellow pages, hyper-local shopping guides, and neighborhood maps that predated the internet, each one rich with quirky copywriting, and unique local perspectives—and occasionally a fun and helpful mascot guiding you along the way. We were also inspired by the charm that small shop ephemera can add— receipt typography, coupon books, carbon copy paper, colorful paper stock, and sales stickers. We created a heroic mascot, Pinny, who represents the physical act of documenting and provides a friendly face to remember the brand by. In creating a brand and experience that is distinctly New York City based, this illustration suite expanded to include an iconic NYC figure—the pigeon.

For the website, we wanted to strike a balance between utility and charm. The directory covers 10,000+ shops across all five boroughs, enabling users to discover what they’re looking for via extensive categories and location browsing. Rather than encouraging users to search for specific items (if you want to find the most highly rated vacuum, ask Google), The Locavore Guide encourages discovery of neighborhoods and their contents. This is bolstered by a deep well of educational content, provided for both shopkeepers and shoppers alike.

Since launching, The Locavore has become more than an online guide. There’s now a Locavore Variety Store serving up delightfully hyperlocal goods, all hand-picked by Caroline and sourced from within 100 miles of its Greenwich Village location. There may or may not be a pickle barrel. You’ll just have to find out for yourself.