People are more than a résumé
Availability, local fit, practical skills, and work intent all matter.
Why Around the Block exists
Local people looking for local work.
Local businesses looking for capable people.
Around the Block makes it easier for those two groups to find a practical fit based on skills, availability, pay, and proximity—not a headshot.
Started on Main Street
The origin still matters
It began with retirees and returners.
The original idea focused on experienced people who wanted a useful next chapter and small businesses that needed that experience. That insight remains central: work should be able to fit the life someone has now.
The need is broader than any age group. A career switcher may want a brain break. A hospitality worker may want another shift. A sales leader may want fractional local work. Around the Block is for all of them.
What guides the product
A healthier local hiring loop
Small businesses deserve useful tools
Hiring should not require a national recruiting budget or a flood of irrelevant applications.
Town by town is a feature
Local trust and shorter distances can make work more sustainable for both sides.
Founder
Doug Bellenger
Doug founded Around the Block to help Main Street businesses and nearby people find one another more directly. The product is operated by Main Street Loyal, the parent brand for tools focused on small businesses and towns.