Apex, North Carolina – November 7, 2026 – Locals Like It, a free online guide to locally owned small businesses in Apex, Cary and Holly Springs, has launched with 2,169 independent businesses in 108 categories and an open invitation: residents can like and love the places they would send a friend, and owners can claim their listings. The guide is a family project of Matt and Brooke Kelley, the Apex couple who own Peak City Web Design, and it went live ahead of Small Business Saturday on November 28.
Instead of star ratings, the website uses a point system based on endorsements by locals. Residents like or love the restaurants, shops and service providers they would recommend, and every local builds a public list of their favorites that neighbors and visitors can browse. Each like carries the person’s first name and town they are from. The businesses with the most likes (and loves) rise to the top of their category in their town. Residents can browse Locals Like It by town or by category.
“Brooke and I run a small business here too, and we built Locals Like It to build up the small-town energy that Apex, Cary and Holly Springs still have,” said Matt Kelley, co-owner of Peak City Web Design. “When people ask online for a recommendation, the answers come from all over the place. On Locals Like It, the locals’ word is what counts: where to eat, who to hire and what’s fun in town.”
Every business in the guide is locally owned and run from one of the three towns, from family restaurants to owner-operated electricians who work out of a truck. Franchise and chain locations aren’t listed. As of November 2026 the guide covers 784 businesses in Apex, 924 in Cary and 461 in Holly Springs, first compiled in October 2026 from public business information.
Owners can claim their listing to add up to six photos, their story, services, hours and a link to their own website, then share the page with the customers who would vouch for them. Featured listings get a labeled spot at the top of their category, but featured status never moves a business up a list; only likes from locals do that. Some featured businesses are clients of Peak City Web Design, and every featured listing carries a label.
“This isn’t about big businesses being bad. We just believe in the independent ones, and this is a passion project for our family,” Kelley said. “If the site ever brings in money, all of it goes back into the community, to love on our neighbors and on families in crisis.”
Claiming a listing and featured placement are free for now. Once the $100 fees begin, the money will go to neighbors and families in need around the Triangle.
About Locals Like It
Locals Like It, founded in 2026, is a free guide to independent, locally owned small businesses in Apex, Cary and Holly Springs, North Carolina, ranked by likes from local residents instead of star ratings. It lists more than 2,000 businesses in 108 categories and leaves out franchise and chain locations. Locals Like It is a family project of Matt and Brooke Kelley, owners of Peak City Web Design, and any money it earns goes back to neighbors and families in need around the Triangle.
Locals Like It | Apex, NC | localslikenc.com
Media Contact
Company Name: Locals Like It
Contact Person: Matt Kelley
Email: Send Email
Phone: (919) 375-2776
City: Apex
State: North Carolina
Country: United States
Website: https://localslikenc.com/