Shop in the District

Shop in the District brings together some of DC’s best local small retailers in one place.
We know shopping local and shopping small is more important than ever.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development, and the Washington DC Economic Partnership created Shop in the District to make sure you could support your favorite stores from the comfort and safety of your home.

The Shop in the District

Initiative aims to:

Support Revenue Generation for Small Businesses. Our goal is to increase DC small retailer’s access to customers during a traditionally high-spending period. We aim to achieve this by making it easy to identify and shop from small local retailers through a searchable online directory of stores with e-commerce platforms, coupled with a strong “shop local” promotional campaign throughout the holiday season.

Encourage Shopping Safely. With an ever-changing retail landscape and more retailers going virtual, visitors can search and support businesses all on one website. By including NEAR.delivery, a local delivery service option, shoppers will be able to choose between curbside pickup or courier service to have local orders delivered in a safe way.

Ensure Equitable Access for Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses. Through our Website & E-Commerce Technical Assistance Program, we aim to ensure underserved minority- and women-owned retail small businesses are able to access e-commerce opportunities and to participate in the Shop in the District campaign.

Website & E-Commerce

Technical Assistance Program

In an effort to ensure underserved businesses are able to take advantage of the Shop in the District initiative, we aim to provide minority- and women-owned businesses with free training, technical assistance, and mentorship to establish and amplify their digital presence. The training will support businesses with website development, e-commerce platform development, and digital marketing. If you would like to be notified when the training becomes available, please fill out the Interest Form.

Have a store

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How to

Join as a retailer

We are excited to spotlight DC businesses that are founded, headquartered, or based within Washington, DC. To join as a retailer, you must have a brick-and-mortar store (including pop-up stores) AND an online presence that the Shop in the District website can link to. Restaurants and non-retail businesses may apply if they have an e-commerce platform available on their website and offer retail products largely considered gifts (e.g., gift cards, sauces, meal kits, etc.). Retailers who have applied are reviewed on a rolling basis.

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