You are given a text that consists of multiple sentences. Your task is to perform abstractive summarization on this text. Use your understanding of the content to express the main ideas and crucial details in a shorter, coherent, and natural sounding text.

WINNETKA, Ill., April 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Tacklebox Brand Partners announces the formal launch of NorthShoreShops.com, the Virtual Central Shopping District to benefit small businesses on Chicago's North Shore and beyond. The Platform offers consumers a new, simple, and convenientway to find and support local businesses. Inspired by the ease of Amazon and the need to support local, small businesses, NorthShoreShops.com provides local-area merchants new ways to generate awareness, capture new customers, and boost sales at a time when they need it the most. Continue Reading The Virtual Shopping District for Small Businesses Among the hardest hit by COVID-19, big box retailers, and online shopping options like Amazon.comare small businesses, who have seen foot-traffic and sales plummet dramatically or stop altogether over the past several years. Some merchants will be able to weather the storm by shifting the way they do business, but for others, the future isn't so bright. The Virtual Shopping District Model as pioneered by NorthShoreShops.com gives them hope. "Many businesses especially small retailers and restaurants have been caught off-guard and do not have the ability on their own to overcome the increasing headwinds they're facing," says David Kelbaugh, NorthShoreShops.com' founder and owner of Tacklebox Brand Partners. "So we decided to do something about it."The Virtual Shopping District, which is located online at NorthShoreShops.com, will allow consumers to easily view and buy products from local, small businesses directly through one, central website - with one shopping cart and one checkout experience. "Buying locally at-scale shouldn't be so difficult", says Kelbaugh. "You should be able to go to one web site to buy from multiple stores at once. Buying local the way it is now is very inconvenient, especially when compared to Amazon," says Kelbaugh. When a consumer visits, NorthShoreShops.com, they can easily shop for and buy goods, services, and gift cards directly from local stores from their computer and mobile device.The Virtual Shopping District is free for merchants and the technology fee is covered by a 5% surcharge, which is added to the cost of the item. Kelbaugh and his team are receiving no payment for The Program. Merchants who are already realizing the benefits of being on The Platform include: Vivid Art Gallery, Classic Kids, Sole + Luna Wellness, Bedside Manor, Messy Bun Boutique, Massage Therapy Center of Winnetka, Green Bay Cycles, Material Possessions, and more. The North Shore Shops Virtual Shopping District Model is expanding and will be taking root in beloved communities from coast-to-coast. Interested communities who want to bring the Virtual Shopping District Model to their communities should email: [emailprotected]. About NorthShoreShops.com, theVirtual Shopping District Exclusively for Small Businesses.The North Shore of Chicago's Virtual Central Shopping District, www.NorthShoreShops.com, is a new, online platform where consumers can purchase items and services from multiple,locally-owned and operated small businesses, with just a few clicks and one checkout experience. The Virtual Central Shopping District is the brainchild of David Kelbaugh and his company Tacklebox Brand Partners (tacklebox.us.com), who are currently scaling the model to support other communities. For more information: David Kelbaugh Founder, Tacklebox Brand Partners [emailprotected] 312-316-8578 SOURCE North Shore Shops Related Links http://www.NorthShoreShops.com

Answer: Introducing NorthShoreShops.com: the Virtual Central Shopping District that Makes it Easier to Shop From Small Businesses in the Communities You Love NorthShoreShops.com and the Virtual Shopping District model provides an online lifeline to small businesses that have been devastated by the impacts of COVID-19, big-box retailers, and Amazon.com.