Build a foundation with local business

By Kathy Cruz

The importance of building and maintaining a local foundation.

I recently visited a client’s shop in a tourist town. Within a few minutes of my visit, she said something that stopped me in my tracks: “We rely on the ebb and flow of tourism.” She mentioned how many neighboring businesses have closed over the years and how hard it is to build something steady when your revenue depends on the unpredictable rhythm of travel.


Her business had a regular cycle: busy weekends, quiet weekdays, peak season, then a slower stretch. It wasn’t just a pattern — it was the reality she had been managing for years. When a store is built around visitors, the business naturally follows the rhythm of travel instead of creating its own rhythm.



Focusing on locals

Tourism is a gift. It creates volume, momentum and the kind of busy energy many retailers work hard to earn. At the same time, it can also create inconsistency, and inconsistency makes a business harder to manage. Inventory is a bigger gamble, staffing gets tricky and cash flow becomes unpredictable.


"When a store serves both tourists and locals, it stops feeling seasonal and starts feeling sustainable."


As we walked through my client’s store and talked about its traffic patterns and point-of-sale system data, the conversation shifted to a simple idea she hadn’t been focusing on yet: the local customer.


I asked, “What would it look like if locals became the foundation underneath the tourist season?” That’s when she started to see the opportunity differently. Locals weren’t just “extra” business — they provided stability.



Shopping like a local

Locals don’t shop like tourists, though. Visitors want memorable, one-of-a-kind items that represent their trip. Locals want something else: connection, community and a reason to return. They become regulars when a store gives them a place in the story.


Sometimes that connection comes from events or local partnerships, but often it’s built in quieter ways. Gift shops with a solid local customer base may have a section of the store highlighting “local favorites,” or they create seasonal traditions locals always talk about. They may also go out of their way to support local school and community causes or offer simple conveniences that make customers feel remembered.


The goal isn’t to compete for attention, it’s to become part of local life.



Strong in every season

Tourist traffic doesn’t need to be replaced. It becomes more powerful when it’s supported by a local strategy.



Although tourism comes in waves, community is constant. Tourist business can bring peak sales, while local business helps a store become a community staple. When a store serves both tourists and locals, business stops feeling seasonal and starts feeling sustainable.



Kathy Cruz is a retail business coach and host of the Savvy Shopkeeper Retail Podcast. Reach her via email at: kathy@savvyshopkeeper.com. Learn more on her website, www.savvyshopkeeper.com and Instagram @savvyshopkeeper.