We feel fortunate to have such wonderful and loyal customers who are choosing to shop locally at our store. Since opening our brick and mortar storefront in March 2006 we have been able to build our business with your patronage. Your investment in us is an investment in our local community as we have sponsored little league and soccer teams and partnered with the YMCA, WAYA, and other sports leagues in town to further kids athletics. We help with school activities and fundraisers and encourage investment of others in youth athletics. We also serve on local committees to further kids sports and healthy living in Austin – Lindsay serves on the Board for the Texas Round-Up and YMCA and Mike is a member of the Austin Sports Commission.
We recently read an article on a popular blog by Chris Brogan reminding his readers about the value of small business and the importance of shopping locally. Our community already embraces these ideals and helps businesses like ours stay afloat, especially in trying times.
Your support and patronage has given us the confidence to expand to a larger marketplace. Our updated website with an online store was open for business last fall and we continue to build our online inventory and see a gradual increase in sales. For communities without a local resource for variety and quality athletic clothing and shoes, we hope to fill that gap. And certainly we hope our loyal Austin customers will find online shopping convenient, gas-saving, and a way to have more quality time with their kids.
We are also employing social media with Twitter to keep our online community, both in and outside of Austin, updated on us. While Chris Brogan also wrote about saving a local business with social media, we are hoping to grow our local and online business with it. You are welcome to follow us on twitter, too.
Thanks, Mike & Lindsay
