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City of Toronto and Digital Main Street Launch Free Website Initiative for Small Businesses

By
Jessica Finch
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Downtown Toronto city Skyline at twilight in Ontario, Canada

The City of Toronto and Digital Main Street have launched the DMS ShopHERE initiative to build and optimize online stores for Toronto’s independent businesses and artists free of charge.

By leveraging Toronto’s technology community, the partnership is providing Toronto businesses with a quick and easy way to sell products online amid the pandemic shutdowns, and the goal is to build and launch 4,000 online stores over the next three months.

The COVID-19 shutdowns have highlighted the importance of having an online presence for brick and mortar stores. The City of Toronto and TABIA say that they are dedicated to ensuring that its main street retailers receive the help they need during these trying and uncertain times.

The project is made possible with efforts from volunteer developers, marketing and business students, and the support of a number of corporate partners. The program is being supported by Google, Shopify, Facebook, MasterCard, Ebay, eShipper, Ritual, Trufan, Snapchat, Magnet, and the Schulich School of Business at York University and provides businesses with more than 17 hours of hands-on support with professionals who know the process thoroughly.

Toronto’s independent retailers, restaurants and artists can access ShopHERE to get their online store built and launched within a matter of days.

Businesses have the option of choosing a customizable online store template that is in keeping with their individual branding, showcasing their logo and conveying relevant information. Each business will receive hands-on assistance with the set-up and initial launch of the online store, as well as assistance into the future. Training and support is also provided to cover digital marketing and shipping queries, and general operational questions.

ShopHERE is purposely focusing on small, independent businesses and artists across the city who do not currently have the resources to build an online store. Within the city of Toronto there are an estimated 49,501 businesses that fit this profile, with 7,371 of them being restaurants, bars, or cafes.

The criteria being used to qualify for the initiative is as follows:

  • The business must be paying commercial property taxes in the City of Toronto;
  • The business must have fewer than 10 employees or fewer than 25 if a cafe, restaurant, bar;
  • The business cannot be a corporate chain or franchise;
  • If an artist, you must be located within the City of Toronto.

“Main street businesses are facing unprecedented times due to COVID-19. They need to be able to sell online if they are going to survive and we are proud to help launch ShopHERE to help them achieve this. This program is critical in ensuring our main streets can adapt and evolve during this crucial time. Launching ShopHERE and providing Toronto’s small businesses and artists the chance to receive an online store at no cost is an incredible opportunity we are excited to provide,” said Digital Main Street Senior Manager, Darryl Julott.

ShopHere has been made possible because of a multitude of volunteer website developers who are committed to doing their part in supporting independent businesses and artists during this time. A number of companies have already agreed to participate, including Global Skills Hub, Scotiabank, General Assembly, Brain Station, Juno, FreshBooks, NEXT Canada, TechTO, and TribalScale. Volunteers can sign up individually or as part of a company, and so far 90 website developers have volunteered to build anywhere from one to 40 online stores each as part of the program. Volunteers have agreed to build over 750 online stores to date, and this number is growing. Toronto tech companies with an interest in supporting small independent businesses and artists are encouraged to assist if they can

The initiative is also heavily supported by Digital Main Street, with 10 Digital Service Squad members providing coordination between the participating businesses and the websites developers, as well as providing hands-on support and training to businesses who are in the operating stages of their online stores. Funding for this has been provided by the City of Toronto.

In participation, The Schulich School of Business at York University has leveraged 50 MBA students to provide hands-on support and training to businesses to set-up and operate their online stores. All funding has been provided by the City of Toronto and Magnet.

If you would like more information please visit digitalmainstreet.ca/shophere/ or if you have any questions contact Chris Rickett (Directory, COVID-19 Mitigation – Business City of Toronto) at chris.rickett3@toronto.ca or Darryl Julott (Senior Manager, Digital Main Street) at darryl.julott@digitalmainstreet.ca

Canadian Entrepreneur Launches ‘La Monarch’ Fashion Brand at an Unprecedented Time

By
Jessica Finch
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PHOTO: LA MONARCH

In the face of COVID-19 and during a time of mass closures and uncertain futures for most retailers, Ana Gutierrez is launching her new clothing line, La Monarch, despite the current economic climate in Canada.

COVID-19 has forced many retailers to close temporarily or, in some instances, forever, however Ana Gutierrez is not letting the fear of failure prevent her from moving forward with the launch of her versatile fashion line, La Monarch

“There was no point in being scared. It was now or never,” said Gutierrez.

PHOTO: LA MONARCH

Originally set to launch via pop-up shows across the country this spring, Gutierrez was forced to reevaluate her launch schedule once COVID-19 hit. “I wanted to introduce La Monarch to people in person so they could really experience the line but that’s not possible for now. Instead I’ve poured a lot of effort into the website and launching the brand that way.”

Inspired by the monarch butterfly that travels between Mexico and Canada each year, Gutierrez has been slowly cultivating the line of versatile and timeless pieces for almost 10 years. “The monarch butterfly’s ability to adapt and travel resembles my own experience, having spent time living between both countries (Mexico and Canada) from a very young age. Travel has also been an essential part of my life and a key factor to my attention to detail and creative nature.”

The brand is sophisticated and effortless in its design. For spring the line features a mixture of bright and muted colours and airy fabrics. However Gutierrez is already immersed in the development phase for La Monarch’s fall collection, and even the early product development stage for spring 2021.This played a major part in Gutierrez deciding to defy the odds and launch a new brand during a pandemic. The cyclical nature of the fashion industry means things move fast and you can’t afford to miss an opportunity to showcase your current collection.

“I had the spring line ready, so it didn’t make sense to keep the stock hidden. I want to keep going, despite this pandemic, and with the response I’ve gotten from launching online, now I know it has been the right decision to not have let this situation slow me down. Things are much different than what I envisioned, but at the same time I’ve learned how to quickly adapt my business and be resourceful in a way that maybe I would’ve never learned had things gone so smoothly. Now I know I can handle any problem, even very unexpected ones.”

Switching lanes under such inflammatory circumstances is daunting, but Gutierrez notes that it forced her to focus her energy on the digital aspect of La Monarch, something that she says would have ultimately happened but was of secondary importance to selling in person. “My original plan was to launch La Monarch both in person, at popup shows, and online at the same time, however I wasn’t pushing the online aspect of it because I was starting off with limited stock and wanted to preserve what I had for people to purchase in person.” Instead all items are now available online and cultivating that aspect of the brand has been rewarding for Gutierrez, despite the challenges.