Hoke and Cumberland County Marketplace | Shop Local & Grow Together

What if a marketplace created for Hoke County could become something much bigger than a place where residents simply search for local businesses? What if it could become a regional platform that connects businesses, customers, entrepreneurs and communities across county lines while creating new opportunities for economic growth throughout southeastern North Carolina?

That is the larger vision behind the We Are Hoke County Marketplace.

Hoke County and Cumberland County have a natural connection because residents regularly travel between the two counties for work, shopping, dining, entertainment, professional services and everyday activities. Businesses also operate across county lines, with contractors, real estate professionals, photographers, caterers, landscapers, retailers, restaurants and service providers often serving customers well beyond the communities where their businesses are located.

A regional marketplace can reflect the way people actually live, work and spend money by making it easier for consumers to discover businesses throughout the area while giving local businesses another opportunity to reach customers they may not otherwise encounter.

Cumberland County Represents a Major Regional Opportunity

Cumberland County is home to the City of Fayetteville and eight incorporated towns: Eastover, Falcon, Godwin, Hope Mills, Linden, Spring Lake, Stedman and Wade. The Cumberland County government currently lists these nine municipalities as the county’s incorporated communities.

Each of these communities has its own character, businesses, residents and opportunities, yet they are connected through the larger regional economy. That connection creates an important opportunity for Hoke County businesses to reach Cumberland County customers while giving Cumberland County businesses another avenue for reaching consumers in Hoke County.

Fayetteville

Fayetteville represents one of the largest and most important commercial centers in the region, making it a significant potential market for businesses located in Hoke County. A business in Raeford could potentially reach Fayetteville customers searching for home improvement services, real estate professionals, restaurants, retail businesses, fitness services, healthcare providers, entertainment options and professional services.

At the same time, businesses located in Fayetteville could use a regional marketplace to introduce their products and services to customers throughout Hoke County. This creates a two-way opportunity in which businesses are not limited to marketing only within the boundaries of their own community.

Hope Mills

Hope Mills has become an important residential and commercial community within Cumberland County, and its businesses serve customers from throughout the surrounding region. Restaurants, retailers, contractors, personal-service providers and professional businesses can benefit from being visible to customers who live outside the immediate Hope Mills area.

A regional marketplace can provide Hope Mills businesses with another way to reach residents of Raeford, Rockfish and other Hoke County communities while simultaneously giving Hoke County businesses an opportunity to introduce themselves to customers in Hope Mills.

Spring Lake

Spring Lake is another important Cumberland County community with businesses serving residents, workers and visitors throughout the region. Restaurants, service providers, retailers, contractors and professional businesses can benefit from greater visibility among consumers who may live in another community but regularly travel through or work in the Spring Lake area.

When consumers can search for businesses based on the products or services they need rather than simply searching for a business within their own town, the marketplace becomes significantly more useful.

Eastover

Eastover demonstrates why a regional marketplace should not focus exclusively on the largest communities. Smaller communities are home to entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses and service providers that deserve the same opportunity to be discovered by customers.

A small business may not have the advertising budget necessary to compete with larger companies through television, radio, billboards or extensive digital advertising, but that does not mean the business lacks quality, experience or value. A regional marketplace can give these businesses another place where potential customers can find them.

Falcon

Falcon is another Cumberland County community that can benefit from greater regional visibility. Businesses in smaller communities are often willing to serve customers beyond their immediate geographic area, but consumers have to know that those businesses exist before they can become customers.

A marketplace can help solve that discovery problem by creating a central place where consumers can search for local products and services throughout the region.

Godwin

Godwin represents another opportunity to connect a smaller community with customers throughout Hoke and Cumberland counties. A consumer searching for a contractor, automotive business, restaurant, farm-related business or professional service may not know which surrounding communities have businesses that can meet their needs.

A regional marketplace changes the search process by allowing customers to focus on what they need instead of limiting their search to a particular town.

Linden

Linden is another Cumberland County community where businesses can benefit from greater exposure to customers throughout the region. A business in Linden may serve customers throughout Cumberland County, Hoke County and surrounding communities, particularly when the business provides a specialized product or service that customers are willing to travel to obtain.

A marketplace can make those businesses easier to discover while helping consumers find services that may otherwise remain hidden from them.

Stedman

Stedman is another community that can become part of a stronger regional business network. Whether a business specializes in food, retail, construction, professional services, automotive services or another industry, visibility is essential for attracting new customers.

A marketplace can provide another avenue for discovery while also helping businesses identify other companies with which they could develop referral relationships or partnerships.

Wade

Wade completes Cumberland County’s nine incorporated municipalities and represents another opportunity to connect local businesses with customers throughout the broader region. Businesses in smaller communities should not have to rely solely on customers who happen to live nearby when their products and services may appeal to people throughout the surrounding counties.

A regional marketplace gives businesses in communities such as Wade an opportunity to become part of a larger business network while maintaining the local identity that makes their communities unique.

Why Hoke County and Cumberland County Businesses Should Connect

The strongest reason for connecting the two counties is simple: people travel beyond the communities where they live.

A resident may live in Raeford and work in Fayetteville, while another person may live in Fayetteville and shop or dine in Hope Mills. Someone living in Hope Mills may hire a contractor based in Hoke County, while a Hoke County resident may travel into Cumberland County for entertainment, shopping, healthcare, professional services or other activities.

The regional economy does not stop at a county line, and a marketplace should not necessarily stop there either.

When businesses can reach customers throughout a broader geographic area, they have more opportunities to generate leads, increase sales, establish relationships and build long-term customer loyalty.

One Marketplace Can Create More Opportunities

For a Hoke County business, participation in a regional marketplace can provide another opportunity to reach Cumberland County consumers who may already be traveling into Hoke County or who are willing to travel for the right product or service.

For a Cumberland County business, the same marketplace can provide access to consumers throughout Hoke County who may be searching for something they cannot easily find close to home.

Consider a contractor who works throughout the region. A contractor based in Raeford may be willing to travel to Fayetteville, Hope Mills or Spring Lake, while a contractor based in Fayetteville may be willing to serve customers in Raeford or Rockfish.

The same concept applies to photographers, wedding vendors, landscapers, caterers, real estate professionals, home-service companies and many other types of businesses.

The marketplace becomes a bridge between the customer who needs a service and the business capable of providing it.

Creating Business-to-Business Connections

The value of a regional marketplace extends beyond consumer sales because businesses also need other businesses.

A real estate professional may need a photographer, a builder may need plumbers and electricians, a restaurant may need a marketing company, and a wedding venue may need caterers, florists, DJs and photographers.

A new business may need an accountant, insurance professional, attorney, website designer or advertising company.

When businesses can easily discover other businesses in their region, opportunities for referrals, partnerships and business-to-business relationships become easier to develop.

Those relationships can generate new customers and additional revenue while strengthening the local business community as a whole.

Helping Small Businesses Compete for Attention

One of the most important benefits of a regional marketplace is the opportunity it provides to smaller businesses that may not have the financial resources available to larger companies.

A local business may not be able to purchase television commercials, large billboard campaigns or extensive digital advertising, yet it may provide exceptional products and services that deserve to be discovered.

A regional marketplace can provide another digital destination where consumers can search for businesses based on their needs, interests and location.

Whether a business is located in Wade, Falcon, Raeford or Hope Mills, its location should not determine whether potential customers have an opportunity to discover what it offers.

Shop Local While Thinking Regionally

Supporting local businesses does not have to mean limiting purchases to the community where someone lives. In a connected regional economy, supporting local businesses can mean supporting businesses throughout Hoke County, Cumberland County and the surrounding communities.

When a Hoke County resident spends money with a Cumberland County business, that business benefits, and when a Cumberland County resident hires a Hoke County business, the economic benefit moves in the opposite direction.

Those businesses employ local people, purchase supplies, use professional services, pay taxes and contribute to the communities where they operate, meaning that the economic impact of local spending can continue circulating throughout the region.

Promoting Events and Community Activities

A regional marketplace can also become more than a business directory because it can serve as a place where residents discover what is happening throughout Hoke and Cumberland counties.

Businesses and organizations could use the marketplace to promote community festivals, concerts, grand openings, farmers markets, fundraisers, sporting events, holiday activities, food events, arts and cultural programs, workshops and classes.

This gives residents another reason to visit the marketplace regularly while giving businesses and organizations another avenue for reaching potential customers and community participants.

Building a Regional Marketplace for the Future

The Hoke County Marketplace does not have to remain limited to Hoke County forever. Hoke County can serve as the foundation, while Cumberland County can become one of the first major regional connections that expands the marketplace’s reach and value.

From there, the marketplace could eventually connect businesses and consumers throughout other surrounding counties and communities across North Carolina.

The objective is not to replace local communities or diminish their individual identities. Instead, the objective is to connect communities while making it easier for residents to discover and support the businesses that serve them.

Hoke County and Cumberland County Can Grow Together

Hoke County has businesses worth discovering, and Cumberland County has businesses worth discovering as well. Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Eastover, Falcon, Godwin, Linden, Stedman and Wade each contribute businesses, entrepreneurs and community organizations to the regional economy.

Hoke County communities, including Raeford, Rockfish, Five Points, Ashley Heights, Bowmore, Dundarrach and Silver City, have their own businesses and entrepreneurs with stories, products and services that deserve greater visibility.

A regional marketplace can bring these communities together by helping consumers discover businesses, helping businesses discover customers, helping entrepreneurs discover potential partners and helping communities discover new economic opportunities.

The Marketplace Starts Here, but It Does Not Have to Stop Here

The vision behind We Are Hoke County is ultimately about connection, opportunity and community, and a marketplace is one way to turn that vision into something tangible that can benefit businesses and consumers throughout the region.

It can begin with Hoke County businesses, expand across the county line into Cumberland County and eventually connect businesses throughout surrounding counties across North Carolina.

One marketplace can connect two counties, dozens of communities and thousands of potential customers and businesses.

That is the opportunity.

When we make it easier for people to find local businesses, discover local services, support entrepreneurs and connect with companies throughout the region, we create more opportunities for everyone.

We Are Hoke County.

Let’s connect Hoke County and Cumberland County, support local businesses, promote local communities and grow together.