California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed yesterday that May 2024 is the state’s inaugural Small Business Month. And to commemorate the milestone, Yelp has listed the top 100 local businesses in the U.S. (why limit it to California…). The list celebrates everything from restaurants to roofers.

In fact, the full list of 100 companies is segmented into categories to make it digestible (see the full slate below). These include broad headings like Auto, Beauty, and Food. And as you may imagine, these exemplars were selected based on various performance indicators seen on Yelp itself.

Specifically, the Yelp methodology involved looking at independent businesses (sans MULO brands) that have a maximum of three locations. These businesses were ranked against several criteria including reviews volume. Only one business was included per state per category to maintain geographic diversity.

As for the Yelp highlights, the list includes standouts like Scarecrow Video, a Seattle-based establishment that’s bringing back the nostalgic vibes of video rental. Also on the eclectic list is Oakwell Beer Spa – a Denver-based concept that combines two indulgent pastimes: going to the spa and drinking beer.

Yelp tells us that many of these businesses will join the company at its inaugural Local Business Summit taking place on May 8th. They’ll get to share their business stories and lessons – which continues to be a moving target, as we discussed with Yelp’s Chad Richard last month at Localogy L24.

L24: The Current Health of SMBs

Show Rather than Tell 

Speaking of business lessons, besides being a fun listicle (who doesn’t enjoy those?), there are success factors that can be extracted from this list. For example, one trend we noticed is niche focus: we’re seeing several businesses like Al’s Handmade Boots, addressing Houston’s western boot scene.

To that end, we’ll spend more time with the list to extract other success factors and, moreover, to see if there are transferable lessons and signals for business opportunities for SMB SaaS players. Until then, here’s the full list for your Thursday enjoyment. And try to visit one of these SMBs if you’re nearby…

Auto

Apna Garage, Decatur, GA

Dent Artist Paintless Dent Removal, Garden City, ID

Dentworks, Austin, TX

KCAutoWorx – Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO

KX Automotive, Philadelphia, PA

Mad Hatter Muffler Center, Columbus, OH

Mike’s AC & Auto Repair, Honolulu, HI

Omar Discount Tires, Union City, NJ

R&G Auto Repair, Alexandria, VA

WAR Automotive Technology, Malden, MA

Beauty

Black Serum Tattoo, San Francisco, CA

Bobby Mack & Co Hair Studio, Philadelphia, PA

Esthetique, Charlotte, NC

Leo Chau, New York, NY

Life Stage Massage, Hoboken, NJ

Love Thai Massage Therapy, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Make Me Up, St. George, UT

Ms Annie’s Waxing Studio – Tysons Corner, Falls Church, VA

Oakwell Beer Spa, Denver, CO

Sugar Bar, Honolulu, HI

Books, Mags, Music & Video 

Drawn To Comics, Glendale, AZ

Movie Madness, Portland, OR

Nevada Mineral & Book Company, Orange, CA

Old Florida Book Shop, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Plaid Room Records, Loveland, OH

Redscroll Records, Wallingford, CT

Scarecrow Video, Seattle, WA

The Outer Limits, Waltham, MA

The Writer’s Block Bookstore & Cafe, Anchorage, AK

This Is A Bookstore & Bookbug, Kalamazoo, MI

Fashion

Al’s Handmade Boots, Houston, TX