Shop STMA’s beginnings can be traced to Carmen Robeck of JR’s Pizza in St. Michael.

In January 2010, Carmen, with support of the City, invited businesses to get together to learn from each other and collaborate on marketing. Within a few months, “Shop St. Michael” was officially born and a mission statement was adopted to “promote the value, convenience and personalized service of shopping local”.

The organization continued to grow, and in 2015 it was expanded to include Albertville businesses, becoming “Shop STMA”. Today, Shop STMA has over 70 members and not only promotes shopping local but finds numerous ways to give back to the community.