City of Flint and 100K Ideas partner to launch new online storefront for small businesses

FLINT, MI — In partnership with Shop Where I Live, the City of Flint and 100K Ideas have launched the ShopFlint online storefront for Flint small businesses to sell their products and services online.

This small business platform is made possible because of the two-year, one million dollar grant the City of Flint received from the Small Business Association (SBA) as part of the Community Navigator Pilot Program for targeted outreach to small businesses in underserved communities.

“100K Ideas is so excited to be partnering with the City of Flint on ShopFlint. This platform provides a unique opportunity to local vendors, providing a low-cost option to launch their online sales platform,” said 100K Ideas Executive Director, Brandee Cooke. “In our work, we found this can be a barrier for many businesses as they are getting started. Online sales are a great way to start gaining customers, so it only makes sense to help alleviate barriers to entry. We hope this will increase the exposure and reach of so many talented small business owners from our community.”

ShopFlint is now live for customers to purchase items from multiple Flint businesses, all in one place, similar to Amazon. ShopFlint is a developing platform with new Flint businesses added everyday.

“The closures of businesses during COVID-19 made it very evident that it is essential for small businesses to have an online presence and to be able to sell their goods and services online,” said City of Flint Acting Economic Development Director, Samantha Fountain. “This platform gives Flint small businesses an easy and affordable avenue to sell their goods and services online. This is a great opportunity for Flint small businesses to get their products online and to reach a larger customer base.”

Flint based businesses that are ready to sell and join the site, contact Carter Holmes, Operations Assistant with 100K Ideas at [email protected].

For more information about the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program contact Samantha Fountain, Acting Economic Development Director with the City of Flint Economic Development Department at [email protected] or (810) 237-2013.

Shop Flint small businesses at flint.shopwhereilive.com/

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