Do you enjoy shopping at small, local stores, or do you prefer larger retailers?
Small, local businesses can face significant challenges when competing with larger, established brands, especially in a globalized world. In the case of Indonesia, they launched a program called UMKM program. Under that program, the government is providing support and resources to help small business owners succeed. My family and I have personally experienced the benefits of Indonesia's UMKM program, as my mom was able to receive a grant through the program to help us start our bakery. The grant was a tremendous help and made it possible for us to get our business off the ground. I have also heard and read about the positive impact that the UMKM program has had on other small businesses in the country. It's great to see initiatives like this that aim to support and empower small business owners. I think supporting small, local businesses is important. These businesses are often the backbone of the communities and contribute to the local economy. While it's natural to have concerns about the quality of products from small businesses, it's not always the case that products from larger brands are superior.
I recently came across a TikTok ad for a locally-owned bag store on social media. I was surprised to discover that the store was only a couple of minutes away from my home. It's great to see small, local businesses using social media as a tool to market their products and reach new customers. They may not have a big budget as larger brands to invest in marketing but the use of social media seems to have helped them reach a wider audience.
Even though I'm not typically a big shopper, I recently needed a tote bag. So, I decided to check out the locally-owned bag store that I had seen on TikTok, even though I usually prefer a multinational brand when it comes to bags. However, I was in the market for something a bit more customized and unique, so I thought it was worth giving the local store a try.
In my experience, small, local stores often offer customized and limited supply products, which means that only a few people have a particular item. As someone who values exclusivity, this is one of the reasons why I sometimes choose to shop at local stores. It's a chance to find unique and one-of-a-kind items that may not be available at larger, multinational retailers.
As you can see above,all of the bags looked really cute and were sold ranging from 15$ $50. Upon closer look, I found that the materials used in the bags were of good quality and the inside of the bags was spacious. Not only are these bags stylish and fashionable, they're also a great option for those on a limited budget.
The locally-owned bag store I visited had a wide range of bag options available, including laptop bags, backpacks, and tote bags. I was specifically looking for a tote bag that had multiple compartments, and I was pleased to find what I was looking for at the store. Many tote bags don't have compartments, which can be frustrating for someone like me who likes to be organized when traveling.
I was confused to choose between olives and brown. Then, I decided on the brown one and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was easy to fold, unlike some of the other bags I currently own. Being able to fold the bag is a big bonus for me, as I don't always use it and only take it out when I reach my destination. The attention to practical details like this was one of the things that impressed me. The staff also mentioned it is made from waterproof material, as this is a very useful feature to have in a bag, especially in rainy weather. It can be frustrating to have a bag that gets wet even briefly, so knowing that my bag will stay dry is a big relief. The staff at the store were helpful in answering my questions and providing information about the products, and I appreciated their knowledge and willingness to help. They even showed me that a 15’’ laptop can fit inside of it.
One thing I noticed about the products was that they seemed to have a minimalistic, Korean aesthetic, which is something that I personally prefer when shopping. I like items that have a minimalist color scheme and overall look, and many of the products at the store seemed to fit this style.
After purchasing my tote bag, I ended up browsing their other items and discovered that they also sell small collections of jeans and cardigans. It was interesting to see the variety of products that the store had available, beyond just bags.
Last but not least, It was interesting to visit a small, locally-owned store after not having done so in a while. I found that these types of stores can be quite trendy and offer more unique products than what is typically available at larger retailers. I'm not sure why some people choose to shop at big chain stores like H&M, but everyone has their own preferences when it comes to shopping.
 | 𝘔𝘢𝘤 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘢. 𝘈 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦, 𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘈 𝘳𝘦-𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. |
I wish I could get something like this of good quality in my country at affordable prices, but the reality is that quality products are available for high prices that are beyond my budget. There are many people who bring imported products with this style, but the quality leaves much to be desired and the images usually don't look anything like the product in real life... it's a bit frustrating.
It could be said that here in Venezuela there are many small businesses, but in my opinion there is very little incentive to be authentic, many people doing more of the same, copying each other. Among these are businesses that offer low quality imported products, so much so that in the end, you don't know if you are supporting a small business or a reseller unless you pay attention to whether someone else has an identical product.
Summary: I want one of those bags.
Authenticity is difficult but here because we have too many competitor and also huge market, let's not forget Indonesia is number 4th in terms of population, it's a big deal to have something that can stand out from the rest. I can imagine in smaller country like yours where it's probably much profitable to do reselling. In the end, it's always about making the most profit. But I also believe in the idea of supporting and empowering local community by buying locals. During covid, I think people woke up to this idea because import goods where also halted. Many small stores were opening up as well and it just shows that during the pandemic or any global catastrophe, you can rely the most on local goods. Hehe I too want more bags but I know, it's just not in the budget for me at the moment. Thanks for checking out!
You got a nice bag! I like the brown one too! Great choice 😉
These colors and designs are quite trendy nowadays.
And the store looks chic. It's pleasant to the eyes, so I think it really attracts customers to go and visit their store, esp since they have used socmed for promotion.
Me who shops are big chain stores and just browsed H&M app few minutes ago:
😂 hahaha During my walks today, I wonder about the presence of local businesses and traditions in Japan. From my perception, Japan is often depicted as a highly modernized country where larger brands dominate and local elements may not have as prominent a place in society anymore. Though, I recognize that my understanding may be incomplete or inaccurate. Can you help to correct or clarify this? do local business still thrive especially when it comes to fashion?
Honestly, I'm not sure but I have seen a lot of local brands getting popular, though not as popular as the international brands, which a lot of people flock to.
Here in the Philippines, we also have like the government program of your country that support small businesses, we call it SME, small medium enterprises supported by government and some financial institutions. They help them by lending capital to start up business. We can support local or small businesses by buying their products or produce like what you have done. Support local.
ya, that's exactly what's available here as well. It's really helpful for small business. They also make it easier to get more funds and expanding the business. I think that when local's innovate, they certainly can compete with bigger brands and bigger chains.
Me, personally prefer to support local and small business owners not just to support but also because they are more affordable than those with greater or branded items.
Same here! sometimes there are products in which local brands are expensive but they are often marketed for foreign buyers instead locals. From what I learn,they also take little profit compared to when a big brand is selling it.
That’s so good to hear that governments support small businesses, including your family’s bakery 😍
I’m just like you - I love anything exclusive. Just one of the reasons why I love shopping while I’m in Poland or somewhere else abroad. I come back and get tons of compliments for my unique stuff 😁😎💙
😂 It's my extra favorite things too, getting complimented for my unique finds when I am back home. In recent years, they're starting to realize how small business is important and I keep seeing nice initiative and exhibitions for small business. Maybe one day my family can participate in such too 😃
I wish you all that and more my friend!
I have a local farm with produce from various small businesses and the products I get there are of such high quality and often things I can’t get in supermarkets. I make sure to support them too. We have to, if we want to be able to indulge in quality 💙
I saw a good bag there. I prefer a small sling bag or backpack
I love backpack and actually use them a lot. Lately, I want to look a bit more feminine, that's why I am going for tote bag instead a backpack hehe.
I usually go everywhere and buy the most suitable one because I need to save money right now xd. Big shops are usually cheaper.
Here, big shops are more expensive although they certainly has that brand name appeal.
This is nonsense. Then they are trying to make a lot of profit. But the higher the price, the fewer people will buy it, right?
Patronizing our own products shows love to our own place. Local products are more beautiful than other imported brands sometimes. Thanks for sharing.
That's true. It's just that people here have that mindset where they equates local brand as lesser quality. Truth it,they evolve and adjust to market demands.
On point!
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hahaha
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