THE snow was falling outside Ali Haberstroh's apartment in late November when the idea came to her.

At the time, Canada was nearing a second lockdown to curb rising coronavirus cases. In anticipation, the owner of a vintage clothing store in Toronto who is a friend of Haberstroh's had put together a list of other local vintage shops offering curbside pickup and deliveries in lieu of being able to open their doors.

"It was a wake-up call," Ms Haberstroh, 27, said of the list, which reminded her how enormous retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon had thrived during the pandemic while many smaller, local businesses had been shut. "I thought if there is one tiny thing I can do to help, then I should get on it." Inspired to build a more comprehensive list, Ms Haberstroh promptly created an Instagram post, tagging independent businesses and shopkeepers across Toronto. Included was a new website, Not-Amazon.ca - a URL that she had bought for US$2.99.