“Unlocking Possibilities: Elevate Retail with Bridge’s Innovative E-commerce & Gift Registry Solutions”

Back in 2007, we managed websites for various retail establishments and brands. Each week, we would incorporate new products onto clients’ sites. This method was intricate, time-consuming, and expensive for clients. (We also found it rather dull.)

One weekend, while reflecting on this issue at Moran’s pub in New York City, I sketched the process on a napkin.

• I recognized that numerous clients were requesting me to add products from the same brands to their websites.
• I observed that Karen, who owned a shop in New York, paid me to list identical products on her site as Sallie, who managed a store in Missouri.
• I pondered: What if I could upload a product only once and have it show on all relevant websites?

There was no existing software or service capable of accomplishing what I envisioned. I was knowledgeable about Excel and file-sharing platforms. However, they were not intended for sharing products between retail sites and their brands.

I perceived an opportunity. I drafted a new process on a bar napkin:

• Retailers could collaborate with a brand and all access the same product details.
• I could request the brand to enter and manage this information.
• These products could then be featured on their respective retailers’ websites.
• This ‘bridging’ of data would dramatically streamline the procedure, lessen the workload, and expedite product listings on retailers’ sites.

I reached out to my tech-savvy friend for feedback. He indicated my idea was unfeasible. However, I chose to proceed. The very next day, we commenced implementing my concept. Within just a few months, we were testing with two stores and eight brands.

Today, we assist 1,473 retailers in sharing 70,143 products from 112 partner brands. We enable retailers and brands to sell products worth tens of millions of dollars from 3,494 brands. Our software has facilitated over 80,000 gift registries for indie shops.

At the core of our enterprise is that original sketch on the napkin.

Shopping Local


We embraced the shop local movement and named our shopping platform accordingly. We have faith in local businesses and their positive impact on the community. (We were early supporters of community initiatives like The High Line park and OHNY.)

My team and I are crafting an online shopping experience where local shops have superior software and an extensive selection, akin to the larger online competitors. Our objective is to assist America’s finest indie stores in providing an exceptional shopping journey with top-quality items, competitive pricing, and rapid delivery.

You are welcome to join us.

P.S. ~ You’re invited to discover more about my inspiration for Shop Local here.

Thank you.

Shop local,

Jason Solarek

Founder & CEO
Shop Local

E-commerce & Gift Registry Platform
Powered by Bridge
T: 1-212-254-9655
[email protected]
339 East 9th St.
New York, NY 10003