ant malls, big box outlets and Amazon may beckon, but this year, San Diego will out-rank all other cities when it comes to shopping at locally based retailers.
That’s according to Yelp, an online forum for rating local businesses that for three years has assembled a list of the top 20 cities in the country for shopping local.
With the holiday shopping season about to shift into high gear, Yelp on Tuesday released its list of those cities that it says are the best for finding local gifts. After isolating stores that are not a part of retail chains and limiting reviews to only those authored by locals and that included the word “gift,” Yelp created a gifting score. The top-ranked cities represent those with the largest concentrations of highly rated retailers.
“Yelp is really committed to supporting local businesses so we thought it would be really interesting to see the top cities for shopping locally,” said Hannah Cheesman, a spokeswoman for San Francisco-based Yelp. “The whole idea is to look at all of the businesses that people shop at during the holidays, so we excluded some places like vape shops, mattress shops, a garage door store, guns and ammo, adult stores.”
Last year, San Diego didn’t even make the top 20 ranking, but because this is the first year Yelp included surf and skateboard shops in the shopping mix, that may account, in part, for this year’s No. 1 ranking, she said. Another factor that may have worked in San Diego’s favor is that Yelp limited the reviews to just those from locals.
San Diego shop owner Brian Beevers, whose roots in local retailing run deep, says he’s a little mystified as to why San Diego would rise to the top in Yelp’s list. He runs several local farmers markets and owns a North Park shop, Simply Local, that showcases the work of local artists.
“It kind of baffles me but I think it might be that we have great weather year round, so we can support farmers markets year round and we have craft fairs all year long, “ said Beevers, whose store sells everything from custom T-shirts and body care products to craft beer-branded goods.
“I always considered San Diego as a place that didn’t have people who would think of supporting small businesses over shopping at a large store. But it’s a pleasant thing for me to hear.”
Similarly perplexed is Brian Miller, owner of San Diego-based toy store chain, Geppetto’s, which has nine outlets in the county and takes pains to market its stores as locally based.
“In advertisements, we’ll use a tagline that says ‘A local San Diego toy tradition for over 40 years,’” said Miller, whose revenues during the month before Christmas account for 20 percent of the chain’s volume for the entire year. “We also post something in the store — the story about my company and how we’re so appreciative to the local, loyal customer.”
Con Yeager (left) and his daughter Jessi ponder a purchase of Nkuto Organics shea butter at North Park’s Simply Local, which showcases the wares of local artisans.
He noted that while there are a lot of shoppers who make their purchase decisions based solely on pricing, he finds there is still a good percentage of consumers who place a premium on supporting local businesses and appreciate the enhanced customer service that comes with that.
“To distinguish ourselves, we offer complimentary gift wrapping and shopping advice, which you don’t get online, and most of our stores are in neighborhoods where customers are very local and their visits are more frequent,” observed Miller.
Jessica Effress, a mother of three, is one of those loyal customers, having regularly shopped at the La Jolla toy store for the last 11 years. She will shop online, but Geppetto’s is her go-to store for birthday party gifts.
“We like locally owned restaurants, and I like to shop at Warwick’s bookstore,” Effress said. “I just think local businesses define the character of the community. At Geppetto’s, the staff is always really helpful, and they always know the latest, coolest toy for kids at all ages.”
The increasing popularity of San Diego’s still gentrifying central city neighborhoods like South Park and North Park is no doubt fueling the appeal and growth of local retailers, suspects Brad Bohensky, Yelp’s community director in San Diego.
“It’s the revival of these neighborhoods that’s a testament to why these local shops may be doing well,” Bohensky said. “In Golden Hill 10, 15 years ago, people were leaving but now younger generations are coming back and there’s this new awesome vibe.”
Barbara Blake, who oversees the Greater San Diego Business Association, a chamber that works on behalf of LGBT businesses, said local business districts have done a great job marketing their neighborhood commercial nodes. As an example, she pointed to South Park’s quarterly “walkabout” where businesses stay open late at night to showcase their offerings.
“More and more, San Diego is becoming a city of walkable communities, so we can live in places like South Park and walk wherever we want without getting in our cars,” said Blake, originally from Boston.” In Boston, we became very loyal to our neighborhoods, and now you see that happening in San Diego.”
Top 5 cities to shop local in 2016
1. San Diego
2. Austin
3. Denver
4. Reno
5. Seattle
