The new Facebook Page for Town & Country Market on Upshur

Putting the walk to the talk, I decided I wanted to work with a local business to help them reach a wider audience, as cheaply as possible. So, I built a Facebook page for the Town and Country Market on Upshur Street.

This had nothing to do with Petworth News, I did this on my own time. And if you’re so inclined, you can do the same thing and help some of your favorite local businesses who may need some exposure help but don’t have the experience or budget.

Teshome Checkole and his wife Meaza at the store.

Teshome Chekole and his family own the convenience store at 823 Upshur Street, and it’s become my go-to place for incidentals, beer and odds and ends, since I moved here in 2005. Teshome always offers a welcoming face and conversation when I come in. Lately, I started talking with Teshome about the benefits of setting up a website or better yet, a Facebook page, to promote specials and other things from the store. But he doesn’t have the time, or the experience, to do it.

So I set up a Facebook profile for Teshome (you have to have a personal profile to create a Page), then built the market’s Page for him (he’s the Admin, I’m otherwise not involved). I took some photos in the store and then put them up on the Page for him. Then I taught him how to update the page.

If we want to help local businesses stay a local business, we need to help them use relevant mediums to reach out to the community. Teshome isn’t going to update a website, post Instagram photos or get into Twitter threads — but updating a Facebook Page? Yeah, pretty quick and easy.

I encourage you to:

A) check out the Town and Country Market page, give it a Like and make him feel good (and discover some great deals on wine, for example!) and then

B) go visit your own favorite business (be it a restaurant or a store) and see if they want some guidance. If not Facebook, there’s Yelp and Instagram that could be successful.

Yeah, it’s a bit of work, but only a little bit — and the upside is your favorite place gets more exposure and more business.

They have some really awesome wines from all around the world.

On your way to a party? Grab a hummus or some salami!

Cheddar may make it better, but Brie ups your cheese game.

Did you know you could get packages delivered to the convenience store?

In a rush? There's toilet paper and other incidentals.

Of course they have the old staples like Cup of Noodles!

Featured

Apr 5, 2016

Town & Country convenience store reopens for a changing Petworth

Apr 5, 2016

The Town & Country Market convenience store at 823 Upshur Street closed in January for renovations. Owner Teshome Chekole (everyone calls him "T") told me that the time had come to update the store, given the changes along Upshur Street and in Petworth over the past few years. The store reopened on Monday. Come see inside...

Apr 5, 2016

Jan 17, 2016

Changes at Town & Country Market reflect changes to the neighborhood

Jan 17, 2016

Teshome Chekole has owned the Town & Country Market at 823 Upshur St NW for a little over 13 years. Affectionally known as "T" to many residents, Teshome has seen the neighborhood change during that time; back then one of the major concerns was dealing with crime. Today, it's how to appeal to a neighborhood that's changing.

Jan 17, 2016