TUSCUMBIA– With the Christmas season approaching, many shoppers in the Shoals are looking to purchase meaningful gifts while also using their dollars to boost their local economy during this challenging year. To help shoppers with this goal, the Tennessee Valley Art Association has teamed up with local creative businesses for a new initiative called Lift Up Local: Art, Fashion, Food. TVAA staff has prepared a local shopping guide that will be available at participating businesses and is also available online at www.liftuplocalshoals.com.
Lift Up Local is an initiative to amplify the voices of the businesses, artists, and artisans who make up the rich creative industry in the Shoals. This first iteration of Lift Up Local includes galleries like the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art’s Winter Art Market and the Art & More Gallery. David Christopher’s, Uncle A.A.’s Emporium, Fiddledee D, and Thread Fabric Store are included in the gift, decor, and craft shops. Participating restaurants are Superhero Chefs and Jack’s Place Bistro, and Audie Mescal Clothing and Side Lines Jewelry represent the local fashion business.
Jennifer Keeton
“As the regional art association here in the Shoals, we wanted to reach out to our colleagues in the creative industry and find a way to work together to help all of us,” said Jennifer Butler Keeton, the marketing director at the Tennessee Valley Art Association. “While this first partnership includes just a small portion of the many, many creative businesses in the Shoals, we hope to expand these partnerships as we move forward and discover more opportunities to team up to strengthen our local creative economy.”
The Lift Up Local brochure and website include the website links for all participating businesses, so even if you’re doing most of your holiday shopping from home, you can still browse and shop at many local businesses in the Shoals.
Media Release/Jennifer Butler Keeton
Director of Public Affairs and Marketing
Tennessee Valley Art Association
