GENOA – Sometimes, local residents end up at Tobinson’s Ace Hardware after they’ve exhausted the big-box options.

“They’ll say, ‘I tried Menards, I tried Lowe’s, I tried everywhere, and it turns out you’ve got it right here,’” owner Carolyn Tobinson said. “You want to say, nicely, ‘Next time, try here to see if we have it first.’”

Getting people to shop their hometown merchants first is the goal of Explore Genoa, a new committee within the Genoa Area Chamber of Commerce. The committee is essentially a volunteer department within the chamber focused on getting people to shop locally.