A Dubbo shop owner who's poured her heart and long hours into her small business says local stores "need the local support to stay open" as the drought continues.
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Larrissa Kek has started Shop Local Dubbo, a campaign to encourage community members to get behind a city that has "awesome shops" that "stock great products".
It's been born out of her concerns about the future of the city's retail sector, with her saying "the drought is tough and the longer it goes the harder it's getting".
Mrs Kek, who opened the doors of Royal Bubs n Tots in 2013, reached out to other store owners, and she reported they had been "feeling the same way".
Since it started last week about 50 shops had added Shop Local stickers to their windows, organised by Mrs Kek and donated by Dubbo business Solid Signs, she said.
A Shop Local Dubbo page has been launched on Facebook and Instagram, as a place to help consumers find what's in their own city.
Mrs Kek said the drought had been taking a toll.
"Some days I can count the customers we get in store on one hand," she said.
"It's hard and mentally harder.
"Having a shopfront in Dubbo doesn't mean we get high amounts of foot traffic but we do pay high overheads."
"Scared for the Dubbo shops with the drought continuing" and questioning where the city would be without all small business, Mrs Kek was determined to aim for change.
Talking to other shop owners, they had similar experiences of people being unaware of their shop existing in Dubbo, or being unfamiliar of the products available to purchase locally, she said.
"This is when I wanted to start this campaign to remind locals that Dubbo has awesome shops and we stock great products," she said.
The aim is to encourage people to check out local shops and get people behind small businesses.
We need the local support to stay open hence the hashtag 'buy local or bye bye local'.
- Store owner Larrissa Kek
"We need the local support to stay open hence the hashtag 'buy local or bye bye local'," Mrs Kek said.
The first batch of stickers was quickly installed and demand led to a second print run.
"It's been a great feeling... the support of so many local businesses joining together," Mrs Kek said.
"I love my shop and providing the products we offer in store and want to continue to be able to do what I love."
The store owner would welcome any locally-owned businesses to get in touch if they would like one of the campaign stickers.