The way things always were

My family, in Gijón, always shopped at small local stores. Not out of ideology, but because it was simply normal. We knew the people behind the counters: neighbors, friends, friends of friends...

Walking through the neighborhood shops with my mother taught me that small businesses are much more than sales: they are community and connection.

Vuélvete Local was born on those walks.

Uprooted

When I moved to Barcelona, that network disappeared. Forced to move from flat to flat and neighborhood to neighborhood, I couldn't put down roots anywhere. And my schedule, split between studying and working, didn't match store opening hours.

I lived in the neighborhoods, yes, but I wasn't part of them.

That's when I realized something was wrong: the solutions available to me didn't align with my values.

What if...?

Years later, with my own home and more time, I decided I wanted to go back to shopping at neighborhood stores. But it wasn't that easy. Where were the shops? What did they sell? What time did they close?

That's where the idea for Vuélvete Local was born: a platform to make small businesses visible and accessible to everyone, no matter where you lived or what your schedule was.

The turning point

The idea slowly took shape. Along the way, several organizations supported me —Barcelona Activa · LGBT+ Tech Barcelona · Inspiring Girls · Impact Hub— and thanks to that I was able to launch a pilot version of the app and sign up the first businesses.

That's when I realized Vuélvete Local would need a lot of time, focus and energy. But my real problem was different: this wasn't a project that would generate immediate income. It was a long-term bet. If I quit my job, I had no money to keep going. If I kept my job, I had no time to dedicate to it.

It felt like a dead end.

Starting over

After a year at that crossroads, the solution arrived. I was awarded two grants that let me dedicate myself fully to this dream. We were able to grow the team and start building with more strength.

Now we keep moving forward. We're adding new businesses, building collaborations constantly, and growing the project with every step.

We believe in empowering small businesses and in everything we still have to build from here, with more energy than ever.