It's no secret that small businesses have been shouldering the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic while major corporations have largely benefitted from widespread lockdown measures, and this is precisely why one marketing agency in Toronto came up with a creative way to give local establishments a much-needed boost.

Toronto marketing agency Taxi recently launched Unboxed Local, a new initiative that creates business cards made from used Amazon boxes to encourage local shopping.

"The boxes were found around the city, each one cut and stamped individually," says Alexis Bronstorph, co-chief creative officer at Taxi.

"It's heartbreaking to see the impact these lockdowns have on small business. We knew we had to start the shop local conversation again, or at least keep it going."

According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), Ontario's first two shutdowns resulted in an estimated 74,000 permanent small business closures in the province — with the most recent restrictions expected to cause even more — while Amazon just closed its best year yet with $386 billion in net sales.

Taxi is already working with two small businesses in Toronto to make business cards from old Amazon boxes. Image via Taxi.

This initative therefore aims to help businesses which have been impacted by "The Amazon Effect" by cutting out cards from used Amazon boxes, stamping them with the necessary logo and contact information and handing them out to customers.

Toronto-based book shop Another Story and Sweet Pete's Bike Shop are the first two participants in the marketing initiative, both of which have felt the impacts of evolving shopping habits brought on by the pandemic.

But the program is open to other small businesses as well, and any owners or operators interested in getting a free stamp for their business while quantities last can email unboxlocal@gmail.com.