About | The Locavore Guide

What would NYC look like if we all did most of our shopping locally? It’s a way to meet your neighbors, explore the city, and learn something new -- all while checking everything off your list.

We’re here to make it easier.

For The Love of
The Shop

I'm Caroline Weaver, an obsessive shopper, former specialty shop owner, and creator of The Locavore Guide. During my years as a shopkeeper, I yearned for a resource to help others understand what it actually means to "shop small" and to share information about why it’s better for everyone. In a world of algorithms and convenience, most of us have lost touch with the ways in which shopping acts as a gateway for community building. So, I spent a year walking hundreds of miles though every borough of the city to get a grip on what's out there and where to find it, and to learn about how the small business economy works on a bigger scale. What I’ve discovered is that we really do have it all here in NYC.

The Locavore Guide is here not only for locating that thing you need to buy, but to help you learn how to use your regular errands as a reason to get out and engage with your surroundings and visit neighborhoods you've yet to explore. Join me in seeing the city through the lens of a Locavore.

200+

neighborhoods explored

40,000+

city blocks walked

2,000+

miles covered

14,191

shops hand-documented

Putting In The Legwork

We’re real people, taking the city block by block in search of every small independent retail shop we can find. After all, New Yorkers are walkers, cyclists, subway riders and explorers – not robots or cameras. With our feet on the ground, and our network of friends in every corner of the NYC, we're here to give you an accurate picture of the diversity of retail shops in your neighborhood and beyond.

Shop Criteria

1. Open to All

It's important to us to highlight IRL shops with regular walk-in hours. Everyone's welcome!

2. Independent

To qualify, shops must have 5 or less locations and be independently owned.

3. Accessible

Shops must be easily accessible by bus, train, biking or walking within each neighborhood.

4. Old and New

We prioritize longtime community staples as well as new much needed neighborhood additions.

1. Open to All

It's important to us to highlight IRL shops with regular walk-in hours. Everyone's welcome!

2. Independent

To qualify, shops must have 5 or less locations and be independently owned.

3. Accessible

Shops must be easily accessible by bus, train, biking or walking within each neighborhood.

4. Old and New

We prioritize longtime community staples as well as new much needed neighborhood additions.

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The Locavore Guide to New York City

What would NYC look like if we all did most of our shopping locally? It’s a way to meet your neighbors, explore the city, and learn something new -- all while checking everything off your list.

We’re here to make it easier.

For The Love ofThe Shop

Putting In The Legwork

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What would NYC look like if we all did most of our shopping locally? It’s a way to meet your neighbors, explore the city, and learn something new -- all while checking everything off your list.

We’re here to make it easier.

For The Love ofThe Shop

Putting In The Legwork

For The Love of
The Shop

For The Love of
The Shop