New Orleans-based Website Brings Independent and Eco-Friendly Businesses to Center Stage

New Orleans, LA – Launched in mid-August, MissMalaprop.com aims to bring independent business to the forefront of consumer culture and simultaneously help drive the economic recovery of the Gulf South by promoting locally owned businesses in hurricane-ravaged areas.

This “indie driven and community-minded” weblog is quickly gaining steam, especially within the online independent craft community. After only two weeks in existence, MissMalaprop was picked up by Bust Magazine to be featured in their “Bust Line” newsletter. “I was pretty shocked when I found out,” said MissMalaprop creator Mallory Whitfield. “I didn’t even subscribe to the newsletter at the time. The only reason I heard that I was featured is because I noticed a post on The Switchboards [an online community for crafty businesses] congratulating me on being mentioned!”

Still less than a month old, MissMalaprop has already added a second contributing writer and covered a diverse array of topics including independent fashion designers, New Orleans-based filmmakers, accessories made from recycled movie billboards, and t-shirt companies who are providing long-term sustainable employment for workers in Lesotho, one of the poorest countries in the world.

“I started noticing more and more interesting blogs pop up over the past few months, spotlighting independent artists and designers. I wanted to create something similar, but I knew I’d have to put my own unique twist on it,” 23-year-old Whitfield said of her inspiration for MissMalaprop.com. “I’ve been trying to become more socially conscious and aware of my environmental footprint lately. I wanted to be able to feature talented independent businesspeople from all over, but also highlight eco-friendly and socially responsible products, as well as artists and designers from New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”

MissMalaprop is only the first step for this budding entrepreneur in a life-long quest to promote independent business and sustainable living. Ms. Whitfield’s future plans include an online store showcasing independent designers and eventually a brick and mortar retail location highlighting the best in indie business.

“I want to help bring independent business into the mainstream and increase awareness of why shopping independently and supporting local economies is so important. It’s what the American dream was built on, but most of us seem to have forgotten that with the rise of the mega-corporations,” Whitfield states. “I may be just one girl, but I have a whole life ahead of me, and this is what I’m passionate about. I believe that one person really can change the world, and I plan to do just that.”

About MissMalaprop

MissMalaprop.com is an independent shopping blog launched in August 2006, and based in New Orleans, LA. 23-year-old creator Mallory Whitfield writes about independent fashion designers and artists, socially responsible and environmentally friendly products and services, and the recovery of small businesses in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. To learn more, visit http://www.missmalaprop.com

Contact Information

Mallory Whitfield, owner & editor
MissMalaprop
504.756.7706
http://www.missmalaprop.com