Welcome to Shop Talk!

Welcome to Shop Talk, the Herald-Republic’s new retail blog.

Knowing that I cover local business here in Yakima, friends often approach me and ask if “store X” or “store Y” is coming to town.

It’s clear that everyone loves talking about shopping -- from shoes to electronics -- and eating at restaurants. So visit Shop Talk, a (I hope) daily-updated blog on local, regional and national trends.

First, a little bit about me. I have covered business and agriculture for the YHR since March 2006. I grew up in Philadelphia and lived in Louisville, Ky. before moving to Yakima.

Through college internships and volunteer stints, I’ve lived in Orlando, Fla. (home of Darden Restaurants, the company that brings you Red Lobster and Olive Garden), Chicago (home of McDonalds) and Minneapolis (home of Target).

Retail and restaurants are two of my favorite things to cover because they interest so many of our readers.
This blog is a place where readers can freely ask me about retail in the Yakima Valley and point out trends and rumors about the local shopping and eating world.

So what will this blog include? Here are some ideas I have —  sneak peeks on retail stories I’m working on, links to interesting retail and restaurant related items from newspapers and other publications worldwide and rumors of possible stores and restaurants coming to the Valley.

Please feel free to comment. Let me know about new shops and restaurants you see in the Valley. Tell me what you would like to see in this blog. 

And come back often for updates and happenings from around the Valley.

-- Posted by Mai Hoang