Main Street's Search Engine
MainStroll is a small business initiative that brings the best of shopping on Main Street to you.
We aggregate and develop immersive browsing experiences that highlight our communities and make it easy to shop, search, and support our Main Street economy across the United States.
Our Mission
MainStroll aggregates and hosts immersive browsing experiences (a “Stroll”) designed after our real-life Main Streets. Anyone near or far can visit these virtual Strolls, learn about the shops and people that make it unique, and support our local communities by shopping as if they were there in-person.
I
Make browsing and shopping local easier and available for consumers as it is to shop large retailers online.
II
Foster economic growth and community development by providing our vibrant communities with a unified web presence to increase interest, sales, access, and tourism
III
Showcase our unique neighborhoods as a destination to find high-quality products from a range of independent makers and retailers.
IV
Offer an additional layer of access and stability to our communities and small businesses to increase their bottom line and stay afloat in case of crisis
Our Story
Supporting our local businesses is how I connect to my community. MainStroll was born out of a desire to do that from anywhere.
MainStroll began as a project in April 2020 after witnessing the devastating economic impact COVID-19 had on my neighborhood (Beacon Hill), which relies heavily on foot traffic and tourism to survive. I remember walking around on a rainy day that April and not recognizing my neighborhood, it was eerily quiet, and all of the storefronts were shuttered. The outlook was dreary and unsettling. Personally, I was just about to graduate from Harvard and facing some pretty big unknowns myself. In contrast, multi-billion dollar retailers went on to have some of their best quarters yet. Concerned about the future of my neighborhood and in an effort to bring any sign of life back to it, I began to design a way to virtually browse, shop, and support the local businesses that make it one-of-a-kind, as if I were there in person. Inspired by what was in my own backyard, this is where MainStroll began.
MainStroll Today
Today, MainStroll highlights a growing database of Main Street communities and their small, specialty boutiques that make these places worth visiting. We work by aggregating the incoming web inventory of these boutiques and connecting them to their virtual neighborhood, all in one place to improve consumer access to Main Street in our digital world. It is entirely hands-off for retailers to participate.
As the world opened back up in 2021, I put a pause on the project, unsure about its future, and went to work as a marketing director for a high jewelry and watch retailer. Ultimately, I couldn’t get this project out of my head, and while witnessing the declining trends in consumer spending and fear of a recession throughout 2022, I decided to focus my efforts on elevating MainStroll in 2023. Our neighborhoods may be open for business again, but I realized there is still a need to improve our digital access to them.
In Winter 2023, MainStroll relaunched with a more defined, long-term vision. We’ve expanded our capabilities to offer better search functions in addition to being an immersive neighborhood directory. I firmly believe our Main Streets are the foundation of a thriving community and strong economy. In addition to running MainStroll, I continue to offer a range of other eCommerce, digital innovation, and creative services for small businesses.
All of the businesses on MainStroll are small, neighborhood retailers who contribute to our communities every day. By creating this platform, I hope it makes supporting them easier for you. Thank you for shopping small and supporting our Main Streets!
-Rebecca
to contact Rebecca regarding questions, content, or sponsorship, please email rnelson {at} mainstroll.com
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Submit Your Neighborhood
Live in a vibrant neighborhood with a range of high-quality retailers and boutiques? Would you love the ability to shop them all at once? Send us a location submission!
