Business SPOT LIGHT: The Global Local

By: Tyra Flynn – Global Local, Leesburg, VA

“The Global Local is a buzzing, vibrant, local shopping space designed with the town square marketplace in mind. Every item is carefully curated for Loudoun County through a collection of
handpicked, local and global, socially-conscious vendors. We offer an eclectic mix of locals-only
home goods and apparel as well as specialty women’s, men’s and children’s gifts.”

I moved to DC in 1997 to work on my Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University.
I met my hubby, John in my second year, who was working for the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer. We married June 19, 1999 right here in Loudoun County at Raspberry Plain Manor
and were on our way overseas October 1, 2001!

We lived overseas for 15 years moving every 2 years to new and exotic locations throughout the
Middle East and Europe; India, Tunisia, Syria, Dubai, The Netherlands and Jerusalem. It was during
this time abroad that I fell in love with the global bazaar/souk type of shopping experience, and it
was here, in these markets that the dream of The Global Local was born. You didn’t go to the market
to just grab something and go home, you went for the experience. It was a social treat to wander
through the open air markets, mingling with locals and vendors alike, taking time to absorb all the sights, sounds and flavors that surrounded you. I came back to Loudoun County with the dream of recreating this exciting shopping space for locals in my community. Along the way, we grew our family and have 4 incredible kids who each will make their mark on the world in unique ways: Meaghen 21, Liam 18, Abby 16 and Evelyn 12. They have all been incredibly supportive of this journey and are my biggest cheerleaders!

We’re proud to help local consumers shop for mindful goods. We aim to spread positivity both at home and around the world. When selecting vendors, we prioritize the artists and brands that give back and our global vendors guarantee a living wage for their artisans.

Locally, we support several Loudoun Charities and Service Organizations such as Loudoun Cares, Women Giving Back, LAWS, the Loudoun Arts Council, Mobile Hope, and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. We are also actively involved in the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce and have recently

joined the Prevention Alliance of Loudoun as a coalition partner. We are incredibly grateful to have been invited to be a resource partner for the Loudoun Bed and Breakfast Guild.

There are so many artists, entrepreneurs, makers and farmers, small businesses, and promising startups in our county! We have been so lucky to have collaborated with many of them and hope to continue adding local artists and businesses to our list of partners. First Fridays are BACK in downtown
Leesburg and we are so excited! We showcase a different artist every month, inviting them to do live demonstrations of their crafts for the duration of the evening. We also host artist workshops in our secret

garden, such as clay and metal earrings, flower bouquet making, and decoupage oyster shell dishes to name a few!

The best part about being a small business in Loudoun County, are the people. We have made meaningful relationships with fellow entrepreneurs that will last a lifetime. They inspire and encourage us, look out for and commiserate with us. And most importantly they are there to enjoy this incredible experience with us.

We are grateful everyday to the people of Loudoun County for helping to make our dream come true. We look forward to continuing to share our Global Local experience with you all!