This Christmas is going to be very different from previous years. With lockdown rules still in place for the next few weeks, and with uncertainty about what the months ahead will hold, many of our favourite local businesses are facing a difficult future.
So for those who want to support their local industries in a time of need, many people across Northern Ireland have been sharing their favourite local shops, to give them to the recognition they deserve at this tough time.
Whether its a small corner shop in a village, or a local store which has been at the heart of the community, we all want to help our businesses survive this period.
Now, a new map has been created which shares the top local businesses in Northern Ireland who customers can support in the coming weeks.
The map will be regularly updated in the run up to Christmas, as more local businesses and shops request to be included.
The map, which was created by Northern Irish marketing graduate David Clarke, is sorted into categories such as gifts, home, textiles, art, health, beauty, book shops, clothing, accessories, food & drink, crafts, hobbies, music and tech.
Speaking about creating the map, David Clarke said: "Last week on the Northern Ireland subreddit, I saw a thread which shared a list of local businesses to support on the run up to Christmas. I thought this was a great idea, so I decided to make a custom Google Map with the locations mentioned.
"Businesses are sorted into categories and map pins contain a link to the business website or social media account.
"After sharing it on Reddit, LinkedIn and Facebook groups, over 250 businesses across NI have been added and the map has been viewed over 6,500 times during the weekend.
"I'm still adding businesses in my spare time and I hope that this will be a useful tool for those who wish to support local business during the upcoming Christmas period."
For businesses who wish to be included on the map, David said: "I've made a dedicated email - shoplocalnimap@gmail.com - for future additions, so if people could ask for David at that email address that would be great.
"It would also be great if requests came directly from the business owner/manager. If they don't already have a presence on Google Maps, stating a town and supplying a website/social media page makes adding the company easier."
For all those who wish to follow in David's footsteps and support their local, they can find the list of the businesses on Google Maps by clicking through here: google.com/maps
