A Very Entrepreneurial Elmhurst

About a week ago I posted a note on the Elmhurst Etalk Facebook page asking about businesses that people really liked in town.  I got some great answers and have been able to check out a few additional local businesses I didn't know about.  (I still have a list of a few I haven't been able to check out).  Lisa, the owner of Monkeys N Munchkins made the point that I should make sure to keep in mind virtual businesses that do not have an actual retail presence.  There are quite a few businesses that live in their homes and on sites like Etsy.  Great point Lisa!

First off, I checked out Lisa's store on Etsy.  She is a top 100 Etsy merchant.  Here items are adorable.   Here is just one example of the cute kids accessories she features:

Overall it got me thinking.  Not just about cute jewelry, but about other local businesses that are in our town, but not as visible.  I started with Etsy.  We have quite a few Entrepreneurs in our town.

I learned a trick on Etsy that is very cool.  You can filter all of your searches by LOCATION. That means that when you are looking for something you can check out whether anyone from Elmhurst, IL is selling it.  I am SO excited to do this next time I am looking for something.  Here is how you do it.

Step #1
Search for your item on Etsy.com.  For this example, I have searched for "headbands":

In this case you will get listing for all sellers with anything "headband" related.  If you scroll down to the bottom you will find a field on the left that allows you to choose a "custom location".  Once you do that, you can type in "Elmhurst, IL".  It evens allows for "South Elmhurst, IL".

After you select it you will ONLY see sellers that are in Elmhurst.   Here are the Elmhurst, IL listings for "headband".

Give it a try!  This is a great way to support your neighbor or even local businesses that are putting their products online!  I had no idea you could do this, but by a few simple steps I can always check first to see if I can support someone in our hometown.