ShopInPlaceDC.com Helps D.C. Metro Residents Track Local Small Businesses Offering Products During Crisis

Washington—A brand-new website, www.ShopInPlaceDC.com, is offering D.C. metro residents a place to find neighborhood small businesses that are still selling products for residents sheltering at home. The website is currently live and welcomes submissions from D.C.-area small businesses selling products in categories such as food, fitness, bath and cleaning products, books, toys and more.

The website is free to the public and is sponsored by the Institute for Justice (IJ). IJ works in the district and across the country to cut red tape for small business owners and empower entrepreneurs to earn a living doing what they love. IJ created a similar site for Chicago small businesses at www.ShopInPlaceChi.com. That site rocketed from having fewer than 10 to more than 250 small businesses in the span of a week after being publicized by Chicago media.

“With restaurants offering innovative takeout menus and to-go craft cocktails, gyms hosting Zoom fitness classes, and bookstores delivering to your door, the district’s local business community is getting creative in delivering goods and services to residents during this unprecedented crisis,” said IJ Associate Director of Activism Brooke Fallon. “These businesses keep us fed and healthy, and the best way we can support them right now is to keep shopping from home.”

Businesses interested in being listed on the website should visit https://shopinplacedc.com/add-your-business/ and fill out a short form with information about the products they offer, their neighborhood locations, and how consumers can safely purchase their products online or through delivery or curbside pickup.

Reporters interested in talking to a listed business or inquiring more about the site can reach out to IJ.

IJ Associate Director of Activism Brooke Fallon is available for interviews via phone or teleconference. Contact Conor Beck, IJ Communications Project Manager, at [email protected] to arrange.