During the last two years, a large amount of shopping has shifted online and it seems that many Toronto residents have been slow to return to supporting local, even as stores have reopened across the city.

One store in particular, even went as far as putting out a plea to the local community asking them to support their store as sales have been dwindling in recent months.

Toronto's bare market at 1480 Danforth Ave., an adored shop for its package-free goods and grocery, recently posted an Instagram reel accompanied by a caption explaining how they're seen a continued trend of fewer customers walking through their doors.

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Just two days after posting, the video has collected nearly 2000 likes and 230 comments with many promising they'll stop by soon.

"We've never had this much engagement on a social media post. We haven't even shared it to Facebook, our newsletter or LinkedIn yet. We can't keep up with the comments and DMs," owner Dayna Stein told blogTO. 

"The reel has been shared what feels like hundreds of times in [Instagram] stories. I think it hits home for a lot of small businesses, and a lot of everyday consumers that might not be aware it's been a struggle for us, and for all small businesses."

All-in-all, the post was a success with the shop receiving an influx of customers the very next day, although the fact that such a post was necessary to make that happen is still concerning.

While money has been tight for many, a mistaken belief that big box stores are always cheaper have kept countless people from shopping local, when in fact, local businesses often have better deals on a number of products. 

Although spending money isn't the only way to support local, writing Google reviews, engaging with social media content, and recommending to friends and family, are just some of the ways anyone can help make a difference to local business.