High Schoolers Built a Swipeable Local Business Directory

We thought: if people spend hours swiping on TikTok and Tinder, maybe that same dopamine-driven interface could work for discovering local businesses. Built a feed where you swipe through local shops and restaurants.

What surprised us:

Getting businesses onboard was way harder than building the app. Cold outreach had like a 5% response rate. What actually worked was showing up in person with a demo on our phones. Business owners who ignored our emails said yes immediately when we walked in.

We pitched to our town's mayor in September, which led to connections with the Economic Development office and Small Business Centre. Then met with our MP's office in October – they ended up giving us recognition from the House of Commons. Being teenagers working on this made some people take us more seriously (novelty factor?) and others... not at all.

The technical parts were honestly easier than the human parts. React + Firebase got us shipping fast. The hardest challenge wasn't code – it was convincing 50-year-old shop owners that three high school kids could actually help their business. We have over 70 local businesses on the platform now with real traction from shoppers. Businesses that joined early are seeing actual foot traffic increases.

Live at: https://homegrownapp.shop/

Happy to answer questions about building something "real" as students, getting institutional support, or navigating the business side of a technical project.