Shopping local is a great idea, but unless word of mouth reaches you or you stumble upon a store, you may resort to a national chain. Enter Merco Local.

After 15 years of working for a large publically-traded corporation, Don Hamp knew it was time for a change.

"I felt like a mouse in a cage. I needed to do something to make a difference; something that mattered. While growing up, I watched my mom and dad both run small businesses. I watched their struggles and their victories. I felt like I owed it to the memory of my mother to make a difference for small businesses," Don said.

Don launched Merco Local, a business that caters to the marketing needs of the small business owner and those of us who want to support them, in September 2013.

For the locally-minded consumer, Merco Local is your website answer to the search for all things local. Simply enter your zip code at mercolocal.com and browse through the profiles and listings for your local mom-and -pop shops. Look through them all or browse by categories such as food and dining, arts and entertainment, shopping and retail and many more.

Would you like to sample the local retailer's offerings, but find your schedule interferes? The answer is a MercoBox. For $19.99, a busy local consumer may purchase a box online to be shipped to their doorstep.

Local retailers, working with Merco Local, include samples, coupons or gift cards inside the box. For example, the October box has a $176 retail value. It's a box the whole family can enjoy or it makes the perfect gift. November's box will be here before you know it. You may purchase a single box or subscribe to a monthly delivery.

Are you interested in a rewards card that features offerings of a local flavor?

"We are launching a Community Card in mid-November. It's a card only for locally owned businesses where they can offer sensible discounts with the flexibility to change their promotions with the seasons. It's a living entity. Go to our website to check promotions at any given time," Don said.

The Community Card costs $15 with $3 of that going to support local charities. These cards are also available to people looking for fundraising opportunities.

How about a one-day event? Join Merco Local on Nov. 29 for Small Business Saturday. Check their website under the events tab for tickets to their Party Buses with the first stop at a local restaurant for breakfast or lunch. Mimosas or sodas will be served on the bus on the way to stopping and touring five to six local businesses with time to shop at each stop.

Do you like to hear about local events and offerings through social media? Like Merco Local on Facebook and take advantage of the latest in local small business happenings.

So, how does the small business owner get a piece of the action? Think it's out of your budget? Nope. For a limited time, Merco Local is offering their services for life at $35 a month.What will $35 buy for your business? Have your business profiled on Mercolocal.com with the ability to create promotions when you want. There's also the opportunity to have your business participate in product placement in the MercoBox as well as the ability to participate with the Community Card, along with much more. Take a look at the website mercolocal.com for additional information.

"Currently, our website has 10,000 people a month. It's not just a directory listing; it's a beautiful presentation. It's a very visual representation of who a business is and what they do. The average user views 10 businesses. That's what community is and what sharing is," Don said.

Give Don and his team a call at 385-229-4377, stop in at 4659 South 2300 East Suite 203 in Holladay, or browse through more than 290 local businesses at http://www.mercolocal.com.