C'ville Entremom

Locallectual: a person who is knowledgeable in all things local and uses this knowledge to have the drive to shop local, eat local, buy local

Localvore: a person who eats only locally-grown and produced food

Localtarian: a variation of localvore; one who cares about the environmental impact of his or her food choices, someone who finds the majority of what they eat from within a certain radius

Tired of supporting the big box stores?  Tired of eating foods that have been shipped across the ocean before they get to you?  Lucky for us, we have Locallectual (www.locallectual.com).  When you first log onto Locallectual, you see their all encompassing mission statement:

“Are you looking to shop locally? To buy local products and to eat local foods? Has it been a challenge to find domestically and locally made goods? Welcome to Locallectual: Your tool to assist you in your “buy local” mission. Live a local lifestyle by supporting local producers. It is no longer a challenge to buy local when you use the Locallectual database to find products made closer to home. Shop at local stores, buy local goods, eat local food. All of this just became a little bit easier thanks to Locallectual, so buy local today!”

This statement more than sums up the goal of the site…. BUY LOCAL.

Locallectual is a web-based consumer resource that allows people to search for goods according to where they are made.  This includes local, regional and domestically produced consumer goods and locally grown foods.  On the site, you can find a directory, by city, of all categories of consumer goods as well as locally-owned and operated retailers carrying these local and domestic goods.  Locallectual also features independent restaurants that utilize local foods.

Locallectual is free to both the user and the qualifying companies that are listed.  As a local company, Locallectual makes it very easy for you to list your business on their website.  It is a great resource for publisizing your business to those who want to buy local.  (I found a couple of great businesses that I wasn’t aware of and have since been to check out!)  As a registered user, you have access to a database of local shops as well as access to coupons and discounts from select local retailers.  One of the most beneficial services that Locallectual provides is an affordable web page service for those companies providing local goods that may not yet have a web presence.  It also offers reasonably priced ad space for producers and retailers looking to advertise to those interested in a locally-supported lifestyle, both on the website and its iPhone application (iLocavore).

Karen Beauford co-founded Locallectual with Jessica Meehan in April 2008 when they found that a master local resource was noticeably absent.  They set out to create a master directory of everything according to point of origin.  It was something that they both would use and needed.  They also thought that others may find such a directory helpful given the growing interest in where things are made and grown.

Karen, trained in healthcare, became interested in holistic living after a stint as chapter leader for the Holistic Moms Network.  Karen believes that a major reason for caring about where things are made is because sourcing items made closer to home can lower one’s carbon footprint.  Karen has always had an interest in human rights and supporting regional and local economies, two other big reasons for knowing where and how things are made.

So how does Karen juggle raising a family and providing us with local intellect??  She finds it easier now that her kids, Nadja (7) , Marcus (4) and step-daughter Breana (22), are in school… This actually makes Locallectual possible.  She tries to get as much done as she can during the day when they are gone, but then also finds herself working after they are in bed for the night.  She also has the help of Jessica, Locallectual’s only full-time employee.

If you would like to learn more about Locallectual and living a local lifestyle, visit www.locallectual.com.  Locallectual can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and IPhone.

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Scenario: Saturday AM, 1st cup of coffee in hand, kids are eating breakfast while asking, “Mommy what are we going to do today?” (In whiny voices of course). Gasp! You are busted.. you ACTUALLY have no plans! You could: go to the pool again?? go for a bike ride?? hike?? OR you could log onto SuzySaid and find out everything that is going on around Charlottesville (and the surrounding areas).

Local writing enthusiast, Amy Eastlack, spends her time researching, networking and spreading the word about all events and resources in the Charlottesville area. SuzySaid is a website for women dedicated to the best of what is going on in and around Charlottesville. The concept is based on the knowledge that as women, we rely on our girlfriends for advice on everything: from what to do with the kids this Summer, to the great deal that we got on that cute little dress, to who’s got the best Thursday night Happy Hour. Suzy is your neighbor, your kid’s teacher, your sister-in-law, your best friend! Suzy is YOU!

When you first log onto SuzySaid, you see a daily dose of Charlottesville: where and when to buy Summer pool passes, how to get involved locally in National Running Day or a feature about the new maxi dress available at Eloise and Scarpa. SuzySaid provides you with a wealth of knowledge including:

Around Town: Things to do and see in Charlottesville.
Mom to Mom: Family and kid-friendly events and happenings in the area.
Restaurants: Places Suzy loves to eat and reviews for area restaurants.
Deals and Coupons: Suzy finds great deals on food, clothing or about anything around town. She also provides local “SuzySaid only” coupons in this section. (You can find one for me there.. Wink! Wink!)
Give: Ways to give back to the community through local nonprofit events and fundraisers.
Not Here But Near: Information on what cool things are happening outside of Charlottesville.

One of the greatest features of Amy’s site is the calendar that highlights all kinds of great events happening around Charlottesville. The events are listed by day and organizations can even add their events directly from the site. How cool is that? I, for one, will no longer be looking back on a great event that I missed! You can also subscribe to Suzy’s Weekly Newsletter that highlights all the great things Suzy is talking about.

So, who is Suzy and where did she come from?? Amy has moved a lot in her lifetime and with each move found that it takes a long time to find all the best resources in a new town. Charlottesville was no exception. She saw a need in the area for an on-line way for moms and women to find out what is going on… something cute, fun and to the point. After moving to Charlottesville, Amy got reacquainted with an elementary school friend (hmmm.. sounds like a Facebook reunion to me) who had started SuzySaid in Fairfield, CT. SuzySaid was such great success in Fairfield that she birthed a Charlottesville edition! SuzySaid also has sisters in other areas: Washington, DC, Denver, CO and Austin, TX to name a few!

How does our girlfriend Amy juggle parenthood and planning all of our social/shopping calendars? Amy has a very supportive and helpful husband and says that his support is key! She also has her own girlfriends, wonderful kids Maggie (8) and Katie (6) and family (although far away) who are always there for her when she needs them. She recently hired someone to clean her house (as hard as it was) after realizing that she can’t do it all! (Feeling you there Amy). Amy says that admitting that you can’t do it all and don’t have to do everything helps keep all of the balls in the air too!

Amy mostly relies on word of mouth to spread the word about the website. That is the premise of Suzy Said after all!! Amy, also, does a lot of marketing through social media. You can always find her posting great tips daily on Twitter (http://twitter.com/SuzySaidCville). C’Ville Entremom is a big fan of Twitter to promote one’s business and often connects with Amy there. On a side note, Amy has linked me to great opportunities for my business via Twitter. Definitely worth checking out if you are not already there.

Visit Suzy Said at http://www.suzysaid.com/charlottesville for more information or with great tips or events!

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