Realtor Couple Starts Facebook Group To Help Local Businesses

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Danielle Procopio grew up in Lombard and loved the area so much that she and her husband Michael Lind, bought the childhood home she grew up in. Coldwell Banker realtors by day, Procopio and Lind, who have friends, family and clients throughout Downers Grove, recently funneled that love for the area into a Facebook group they started to aid Downers Grove businesses during the new coronavirus shutdown.

Procopio, who owns The Procopio Group with her husband, told Patch she and Lind started the Facebook group because "We didn't really see any groups that were solely dedicated to helping Downers Grove businesses get the word out about their products and services, special promotions, store hours, etc."

The Shop Local Downers Grove group already has more than 625 members and dozens of local businesses that have signed up. The goal, Procopio told Patch, is to "grow the Facebook group into a source of both ongoing revenue and community support for all of the businesses that have been affected."

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"We can't afford to lose any of them," Procopio told Patch, "They are all a part of the fabric of this amazing community. Downers Grove has about 49,000 residents, but when you walk around downtown, it really has a small town feel to it. We want to preserve that feeling."

The group is already making a difference, Procopio said. She added, "We realize that one Facbook group isn't going to 'save the world,' but just in the first two days of starting this group, we've seen businesses make sales and members have discovered businesses they never knew about before. It's been really fantastic to watch. That's what it's all about: standing together while socially distant. "

More coverage:

• Downers Grove Local Business Guide: What’s Open Or Closed In Town
• Illinois Coronavirus Update April 15: 23,247 Cases; 868 Deaths