Get their new Localist card to receive discounts and promotions through 2026
Jacquie Berger has served as the executive director of Lowcountry Local First since 2021; The nonprofit offers programs such as the Local Works coworking facility and the Community Business Academy, which provides training and resources for entrepreneurs.
Jacquie Berger remembers feeling like she’d “been given the keys to the kingdom” when she became executive director of Lowcountry Local First (LLF). The New England transplant by way of New York had participated in the nonprofit since moving to the Lowcountry in 2014. So when she stepped into the executive role seven years later and discovered “all the unique treasures” of the community, she was overjoyed. “The mission of this organization deeply resonates with me,” she says.
Jamee Haley, Matt Bauer, and Andy Gowder cofounded LLF in 2007 to foster the community’s wealth and well-being through programs that support local business owners. “There’s a deep love for things built and made here and a desire to contribute to the fabric of our community,” observes Berger. “It’s a ripe environment for an organization focused on helping local businesses connect with their neighbors.”
LLF’s 700 members touch every sector, including food and beverage, wellness and beauty, construction and development, financial institutions, and local municipalities. Member businesses must keep more than half of their ownership in the Lowcountry. “These are the folks with the power to weave this local economy together by choosing vendors, making financial decisions, and dictating their brand aesthetic,” notes the director. “When people support local business, three times more of the money spent stays here, creating more wealth and well-being for the Lowcountry.”
To empower consumers, LLF recently rolled out the Localist card. Introduced during the nonprofit’s holiday season Buy Local campaign, the card unlocks discounts and perks at area restaurants, boutiques, and service providers through 2026. “This card rewards you for choosing and supporting local businesses and helps you discover new ones to love,” says Berger. With some 45 participating businesses in the Localist directory and more being added, cardholders can easily recoup the $25 cost. And for LLF, the Localist program provides measurable data to track its impact as well as a new revenue stream for its $1.3 million annual budget.
The funding supports a variety of efforts, including a small business marketing grant program, a crowdsourcing microloan initiative, professional guidance for fledgling bricks and mortar, and free consultations with experienced pros for emerging entrepreneurs. LLF’s Community Business Academy, a 13-week boot camp offered in both English and Spanish, also provides training to traditionally overlooked entrepreneurs, promising graduates (who will number 400 by year’s end) the resources and support to grow their ventures. Included is free membership and a discount to Local Works, LLF’s hip Upper King Street coworking facility.
“We activate in really creative ways,” says Berger. The organization hosts markets, teaches classes, advocates for nonpartisan policy changes, and organizes member meetups. “It’s great to see people from different sectors enriching each other,” she adds, citing the Estelle Colored Glass x Candlefish collab and the introduction of Bert & T’s Desserts owner Christina Miller, a Community Business Academy graduate, to the Lowcountry Creamery dairy farmers at one of LLF’s annual Chef’s Potluck fundraisers. “The more connected and supported these businesses are, the more resilient we are as a community.”
