Located on the 401 halfway between Toronto and Montreal, businesses benefit from the traffic that commutes through Brockville’s outer edge, but faces the same struggles as many smaller communities, lower population growth, big businesses shutting down, and an extra need for residents to keep their purchases local.

That’s why entrepreneurs Joe and Veena Naszady are so excited to lead the Shop Local Movement in Brockville, with the launch of ShopBrockville.ca.

Joe and Veena envision a bustling downtown core with no vacant storefronts and the kind of friendly shopping experience they recall enjoying as children. The Naszadys see ShopBrockville.ca as a way to help locally-owned businesses in their hometown band together to create a powerful site for supporting local while taking on the big box stores and online competition that offers low prices and quick delivery.

No strangers to the world of small business with two ventures already under their belts – an IT company and a sales training company – Joe and Veena are now making it three with ShopBrockville.ca.

For almost 30 years Joe has provided technical services, website design and more to Brockville businesses through his company NaszTech Systems Inc., while Veena’s background in marketing and advertising saw her work her way up to a position as Director of Sales, Marketing and Advertising at a local newspaper company.