Shop Local

Inspiration

Growing up in a small town, I watched local shops struggle against big chains—this project was born from wanting to give neighbors a way to connect with and support these businesses. I wanted to create something that felt warm, community-focused, and easy to use, mirroring the charm of local Main Streets.

What it does

Local Business Support is a web platform that helps people discover nearby small businesses, purchase gift cards, browse local deals/events, and share reviews/stories. It’s a one-stop hub to celebrate and sustain the heart of every community.

How we built it

I started with wireframing the UI in Figma, focusing on warm brand colors and intuitive navigation. Using HTML/CSS (Tailwind) for styling and JavaScript/React for interactivity, I built responsive pages (Home, Directory, Gift Cards, etc.). I prioritized animations (scroll-triggered counters, hover effects) to make the platform feel lively yet approachable, and structured data for seamless browsing.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest hurdle was balancing rich animations with accessibility—ensuring motion effects worked for all users (respecting reduced-motion settings). Also, designing a responsive carousel for featured businesses that worked flawlessly across mobile/desktop took multiple iterations to perfect.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Crafting a UI that feels both polished and community-centric, with smooth animations that enhance (not distract from) the user experience. The platform’s intuitive navigation and mobile responsiveness make it easy for anyone to explore local businesses.

What we learned

I deepened my understanding of accessible animation practices and responsive design principles. I also learned how to translate a community-focused vision into a functional product—prioritizing user needs over flashy features.

What's next for this project

We plan to add real geolocation to help users find businesses nearby, integrate user accounts for saving favorite spots, and partner with local business owners to add real-time updates for deals/events. Eventually, we want to expand to more communities and add a feature for local business owners to manage their profiles.

Built With

• intersection
• javascript
• json
• react
• tailwind-css