An update of a popular blog post from August 8, 2011

When I first wrote about Jason Solarek’s online wedding registry platform, Bridge was only one year old. There were about 30 brands represented in the database, and the fledgling company had just been selected as a finalist in the British Airways Small Business Competition for its innovation in online retailing. 

Fast forward 15 years to today. Bridge – known as Shop Local since 2023 – now has 70,000 syncing products from 109 brands partners, including Juliska, Le Creuset, and Versace. They serve nearly 1,450 retailers (including our shop),  and these stores add their own products from over 3,000 additional brands.

The update of the name of the platform from Bridge to Shop Local was chosen to better convey “who we serve, what we do, and our mission,” according to Jason. Their core focus is independent retailers who don’t have their own online registry, but want to be able to link to the personalized wedding sites that couples create on platforms such as The Knot or Zola. It also provides a way for locally-owned stores to compete against Amazon, Crate & Barrel and other popular online registries.

“Shop Local offers a modern online storefront, synced brand product data, registry functionality, lower tech overhead, and faster time to market,” Jason notes. It also benefits the brands it serves, helping them reach more independent stores for wider distribution.

Jason shared this list of the three core problems that Shop Local works to solve:

1. Product Data Is Expensive and Complex. Without automation, product catalogs are incomplete and online listings look outdated. 

2. Wedding & Gift Registries Are Operationally Heavy. Registries require large online product selection, accurate pricing, and advanced checkout features. Most small retailers don’t have the technical resources to handle this.

3. Indie Retailers Can’t Build E-commerce Tech Alone. Succeeding online is expensive and unrealistic for most single-location stores. Shop Local solves this by building a great, all-encompassing online store once and offering it to many retailers.

There is a monthly fee for using the Shop Local platform, and of course you still need to provide great customer service to the couple registering and to their wedding guests. If you think this program might be a good option for your store, check out the information for retailers available on the Shop Local website.

Happy Retailing,
Carol “Orange” Schroeder

PS There will not be a Specialty Shop Retailing blog next week.