Renew Illinois Local.

Our three pop-ups in 2021 featured a dozen member businesses and attracted hundreds of visitors over three hours. Pop-ups will take place in spring, summer, and fall in 2022.

Our inaugural conference and awards attracted more than half our membership, as well as members of the public. We recognized four of our member businesses, as well as a supporter of the IL family. Our awards were designed and sponsored by our members.

Our members received a monthly member newsletter, welcoming newcomers, announcing IL events, celebrating the success of past events and activities, featuring six questions updates, marketing opportunities for members, and member news, offers, and updates.

Members complete six questions for a feature on our website. The news page is our most visited on the site.

With our help, in 2021, members were featured on NPR Illinois, Illinois Country Living Magazine, Sweet Spot Living Magazine, and Prairie Land Buzz Magazine.

We are active on social media, with posts on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We keep a constant stream of stories featuring our members. We also encourage members to take part in takeovers of the IL social platforms, and we invite friends of the IL family to take over for a day or two.

In our first collection, we kicked off 2021 with a photoshoot that featured IL fam members, Just the Basics Mobile Bar, Cured Catering, Johnny & June, and Serious Lip Balm.

Photos by Abby Kate Photography

In our spring member collection, we worked with True Colors Floral, The Storyteller Studios, Troxell, Stephanie Cullen Design, Mod & Cane Furniture, Nothing Fancy Supply Co, Three Twigs Bakery, and Smart Owl Coffee to tell, in pictures, the stories of our members.

Photos by Abby Kate Photography

We crammed A LOT into our summer member collection. We took our shoot to Jacksonville and featured Green Haven, Closet 31, Blush & Beige Boutique, Bella Boutique, Jojo Earrings, Avenue 261, Flourish Flower Company, Itty Bitty Fashion Trunk, Flora Roasting Co., Mad Macs Bakery, Wild Lane Boutique, The Haberdsah, Out Town Books, One Knotty Maker.

Photos by Abby Kate Photography.

In preparation for the holiday market, our 1st birthday, the holidays, and the new year we brought members from across the state together to celebrate their successes.

Photos by Abby Kate Photography

Our directory is driven by the keywords you use in your business description. Other directory systems commonly use a set of categories. Our system is more intelligent and allows people to search via normal language. In addition you can list multiple locations.

Each quarter a photographer shoots up to 15 members. As we have grown so, have our shoots. In 2022 we plan to shoot at a different location in Central Illinois every three months and do two product shoots in the studio.

Our biggest event to date, the Holiday Market at Knob Hill Landscape Co., takes place on November 27 between 10 am and 2 pm. Small Business Saturday is one of the busiest retail days of the year. An event where 30+ online and brick and mortar members come together, from across the state, during the holiday season is a testament to our thriving community. We are a proud Neighborhood Champion for Small Business Saturday.