In Charleston, we love our local businesses. It’s what makes the city unique. 

Personally, one of my favorite things about being in Charleston is knowing that the second I walk into Uptown Social, the bartender will greet me with my favorite drink, Strawberry Fields Forever. 

Like Uptown Social, some local businesses in Charleston have really been thriving amid the pandemic. For example, Uptown Social just announced their newest venture, Uptown Hospitality Group, and plans to open Share House in mid-2021. 

In many ways, this year has opened up opportunities for planning what’s next, brought our communities closer together and revealed some of the little things we might have previously taken for granted.

Helping local businesses gain exposure allows them to grow and continuously contribute their unique offerings to the community. The one thing that makes this all possible is relevant information about what’s happening at places being shared in real-time. That’s exactly why we’ve built the Whim app. Here are some ways you can use Whim to support local businesses in Charleston:

Share why you go to your favorite local spots.

We all have our regular haunts. Huriyali for morning matcha. Edmund’s Oast for oysters. Sesame for burgers. 

But what is it about these places that inspire us to visit when we do? What are we there for? To satisfy a craving? To meet new people? To enjoy nice weather on the patio with heaters and plenty of open tables?

One of the best ways to support local businesses in Charleston is to share why you go there so that the people who run the establishment can continue to build upon that and provide that to the community.

Say what’s happening that’s unique to a local business today.

In the past, local business owners have relied on outdated images from reviews on Yelp and Google to showcase what they have to offer. But how much of that information is relevant to today? With the impact the pandemic has had on retail and dining, we’re seeing businesses develop creative offerings to bring people through the patio door. 

We’ve seen everything from Netflix trivia nights to paint-your-own Beer Stein. The trouble is finding out when these things are happening if you don’t already follow a place on Instagram or Facebook. 

With Whim, you can contribute to your local community by sharing what businesses you know are doing that day regularly. What specials do they offer? Are they hosting an event? Support them by sharing with people nearby on Whim.

Share local businesses that are newly sprouting up around you.

In the midst of the pandemic, one of the things we’re seeing is an influx of new businesses sprouting up in Charleston. With the development of new communities like Nexton in Summerville, it’s clear that Charleston is booming. 

One of the things that Whim allows you to do is tag businesses that might not yet have an Instagram presence. For example, have you tried mentioning Ever Creamery on Instagram? Have you ever heard of it?

Brand new businesses don’t always have time to dedicate to building a social media following and thankfully, with Whim, they don’t need Instagram to become discoverable. 

As a local insider, you can simply post to that business on Whim and everyone nearby will see it. Plus, you can share that Whim post directly to your Instagram and Facebook story to show your friends your new favorite find.

Report new openings or unexpected closures.

Have you ever planned your entire evening around visiting your favorite restaurant or going to a specific spot only to find out when you arrive that it’s closed? Or have you ever been late to meet your friends because of unexpected road closures or traffic? Frustrating, isn’t it? 

You can use Whim to get and create nearby alerts for these inconveniences before they interrupt both yours and everyone else’s day.

Similarly, it’s tough to keep track of changes to when businesses are opening up on certain days of the week again. 

For example, did you hear that Bay Street Biergarten will be open again Monday nights beginning March 22? You probably wouldn’t know if you don’t follow them on Instagram. 

You can use Whim to alert people nearby when you learn about a place reopening and support everyone involved.

At Whim, we are committed to connecting you to local businesses and the local community. It’s all possible with everyone in Charleston reporting what’s happening nearby and it begins with you.