SPL LIVING
Ester Venouziou LocalShops1, Founder
SPL
SPL
People To Watch
Ester Venouziou started the annual Shopapalooza festival in 2010 to give a boost to small businesses. It’s grown to some 350 vendors this year.
BY CINDY COCKBURN When she walks down Central Avenue in the heart of downtown, shop owners smile and wave and step out of their stores to greet Ester Venouziou as if they are getting ready to host the Mayor of St. Pete or the Chamber President. Yes, she’s that popular. Year after year, the woman with the low-key profile and big smile devotes her time, energy and talent to helping small businesses succeed. She may be shy in front of the camera but is known and loved by hundreds of local store owners all over Tampa Bay. Ester Venouziou has come a long way since she arrived in St. Pete by way of New Jersey and Ft. Lauderdale with an idea that became a mission - support and preserve the uniqueness of the city’s small businesses. That mission became LocalShops1. Fifteen years later, it is successful and growing. On August 24, she threw what she calls “The Party of the Year” at the Floridian Social and was surrounded by hundreds of grateful and happy business owners applauding her to celebrate the anniversary. She credits her parents, entrepreneurs who had a successful, international fabric and linen business in Brazil, for her work ethic. When the family relocated to the United States, Venouziou became interested in journalism. She lived and worked in several places
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in Florida, eventually landing at what was then the St. Petersburg Times. While continuing to work at the newspaper, Venouziou started to post a list of local stores, restaurants and attractions. A one-stop place for locals and tourists to find one-of-a-kind places to visit, shop and eat. In 2011, Venouziou was laid off from her job at the newspaper, which provided the opportunity to focus more full-time energy on LocalShops. LocalShops1 is recognized as Tampa Bay’s most active voice for small businesses. “We foster collaborations and organize events to connect businesses with businesses, as well as businesses with shoppers,” says Venouziou. The organization’s signature event is Shopapalooza, which over 14 years has become a highly anticipated holiday festival in downtown St. Petersburg. This year, over 350 local businesses will be taking over Vinoy Park on November 25-26. The holiday extravaganza is expected to be one of the largest small business weekend events in the state. It’s co-sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg. “Shopping local is more critical than ever this year as small businesses are facing economic challenges with staffing shortages and higher cost-of-goods due to inflation, while still recovering from the pandemic’s impacts,” Venouziou said. What’s the vibe like on the biggest shopping weekend of the year? “It’s not about the hard
