A new, on-demand marketplace of local makers and merchants, Heyou, is launching in Chattanooga and has sights set on expansion within a year. 

Heyou allows customers to browse gift items from a variety of local stores, then send out the door gift wrapped for same day delivery. 

“For consumers, it’s a very convenient and seamless experience,” Heyou founder Ashley Zimmerman said. “You can do this in five minutes, but it looks like you’ve spent weeks thinking about it.” 

The platform, which is launching in partnership with Plum Nelly, Fox & Fern, Danshire Market, A Child’s Garden & Center Med Spa, allows consumers to shop last-minute and still find convenience and authenticity, while also supporting area local  business.

“Our polling showed us that over 70 percent of gift-givers are looking for something last minute and 90 percent said a gift from a local boutique is the kind of authenticity they’re looking for,” said Ms. Zimmerman. 

In addition to saving procrastinators, Heyou also provides a platform for finding an ideal, thoughtful gift when timely situations arise, such as a hardship or celebration. 

Ms. Zimmerman says the service will ultimately try to win over non-residents with friends and family in Chattanooga. She started the business after she couldn’t find the kinds of gifts she needed for her people that don’t live nearby. She started calling local boutiques and asking for help curating items, and one day it clicked that she had a business idea emerging. 

"I’ve just decided to solve my own problem and I hope I can help other people out along the way,” she said.

Tennessee American Water will begin its annual water system flushing program throughout its water system serving Chattanooga, East Ridge, Red Bank, Lookout Mountain, Ga. and Tn., and Rossville, ... (click for more)

Here are the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce events for Sept. 12-16: Sept. 12, Chattanooga Engineers Club Online Event Noon to 1 p.m. Presentation: TVA - Overview of Electric Vehicles ... (click for more)

Happy Feet International, a distributor of luxury vinyl plank and tile headquartered in Chattanooga, has donated 2,000 square feet of flooring to Chattanooga Room in the Inn, a local shelter ... (click for more)

Tennessee American Water will begin its annual water system flushing program throughout its water system serving Chattanooga, East Ridge, Red Bank, Lookout Mountain, Ga. and Tn., and Rossville, starting the week of Sept. 12. Flushing will take place on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for approximately four weeks. Periodic flushing is essential to providing excellent water ... (click for more)

Here are the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce events for Sept. 12-16: Sept. 12, Chattanooga Engineers Club Online Event Noon to 1 p.m. Presentation: TVA - Overview of Electric Vehicles and TVA's Programs; Speaker: Drew Frye, Manager of Electric Vehicles Energy Services & Programs. $10 Sept. 12, Ribbon Cutting for Comparion Insurance Agency 4:30-5 p.m. Comparion ... (click for more)

A 66-year-old Hixson man has been charged with the Aug. 22 kidnapping of a Northgate Mall employee. Fred Goodjoint, of 189 Roxbury Circle, is charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery. A 43-year-old man said he left work around 2:10 a.m. and went to his car in the parking lot near Old Chicago Pizza. He said he saw a 1990s Ford F-150 parked next to his vehicle. ... (click for more)

The Health Department has received a limited supply of the Bivalent COVID-19 Booster shots and will begin administering the booster doses to eligible individuals at all Hamilton County Health Clinics beginning on Friday. This Bivalent booster is designed to target the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, in addition to the original coronavirus strain. This single-dose booster ... (click for more)

Constitution Day is Sept. 17. Congress set this day aside in 2004 for us to honor the signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia, Pa., on Sept. 17, 1787. In the law establishing Constitution Day, Congress also required that all publicly funded educational institutions and federal agencies provide educational programing on the history of the Constitution on this day. The Nation ... (click for more)

College football’s brightest lights will be in Austin, Texas, on Saturday when a much ballyhooed matchup between the Longhorns and top-ranked Alabama kicks off at 12 noon (Fox Sports). ESPN’s Game Day crew will be on hand and you can bet Texas Memorial Stadium will be rocking. A lot has been written about Tide coach Nick Saban matching wits with Texas coach Steve Sarkisian but the ... (click for more)