Locavore Variety Store in Manhattan carries locally made treasures with a story
WEST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) -- From your corner bodega to one-of-a-kind shops -- small businesses are the economic heartbeat of the city.
As we celebrate Small Business Week, we are highlighting the makers, the owners and the visionaries who are the backbone of our city.
The most recent city data estimates there are 183,000 small businesses across the five boroughs.
One small business, a variety shop in the West Village, is doing so much more than just selling unique items.
Caroline Weaver believes that down every street and around every corner, there are stories to be told. And she's determined to tell them all.
Weaver's shop, The Locavore Variety Store, is filled with treasures and things one might walk by every day without ever knowing their origin story.
Her business is the culmination of a journey that began with a childhood dream and a movie that changed everything.
"My love of small businesses started as a child," Weaver said. "I watched 'You've got Mail' more than any young child probably should. And I saw this job that Kathleen Kelly got to do, fostering this community and building this really special world in her shop, and I identified that as something I wanted."
Weaver set out on a mission to change the way New Yorkers shop by creating The Locavore Guide, a directory of the city's independent businesses.
"I decided to go neighborhood by neighborhood, street by street, and catalog every single independently owned shop that I could find," Weaver said. "I have seen with my own eyes shops in just about every corner of the city."
What started as a digital guide has now transformed into a store where every product has a story and every purchase supports a local entrepreneur.
The store's shelves are lined with products made by independently owned companies that are mostly within 100 miles of New York City, a key part of Weaver's business.
In the age of chain stories and instant deliveries, the Locavore Variety Store offers something increasingly rare -- a real connection and a window into the diverse tapestry of New York.
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