Local Creators Highlight Small Businesses in Bossier
Scroll through social media today, and you may notice more familiar faces and places filling your feed. Across Bossier, a growing community of local content creators is using social media to showcase small businesses, local eats, events, hidden gems, and experiences happening right here at home. While their journeys and platforms may look different, creators like Rich Auntie DaDa and Asia Bailey share a common goal: shining a positive light on the 318 and encouraging others to experience, appreciate, and support the community around them.
Rich Auntie DaDa: Turning Content Into Community Impact
For Rich Auntie DaDa, content creation began during an unexpected season of her life. After moving back to Shreveport and losing her boyfriend, she found herself depressed and searching for direction. A solo trip to Houston, combined with the growing popularity of TikTok, sparked something new.
After seeing people create videos highlighting their whereabouts, she decided to try it herself. Soon, people began asking her to showcase places closer to home.
Having primarily experienced Shreveport-Bossier as an adolescent, DaDa admits she initially didn’t think the area had much more to offer. Then she discovered Bayou Axe in the Eastbank District of downtown Bossier.
“I didn’t even know downtown Bossier was a thing,” she said.
She created a video about the experience, and within 24 hours, it went viral.
From there, she began intentionally discovering what the area had to offer while challenging a narrative she had heard for years.
“All my life I’ve only heard people elaborate on the bad that SBC has,” she said. “No one ever points out the good. So I wanted to be that one.”
Her platform now highlights food, lifestyle, beauty, a variety of local businesses, events and experiences, intending to give positive exposure to the people and businesses behind them. She doesn’t just want followers to watch; she encourages them to visit and support the businesses themselves.
That passion has grown beyond social media. DaDa created 318 Food Fest, a large community festival bringing together the flavors, businesses, and experiences of the 318. The event showcases local restaurants, food trucks, bakers, vendors, and other businesses, creating another avenue for local entrepreneurs to gain exposure and community support.
Her work has earned recognition including Socialcon of the Year and Woman of the Year in 2025, a 40 Under 40 honor, and recognition from the Caddo Parish Commission. Her festival has also received its own official 318 Food Fest Day.
Still, she says the impact on others means the most.
“When people come to me after I’ve highlighted them and they say that they sold out, or anything positive happened to their business after me, it really keeps me going, ” she said.
TikTok | @richauntiedada
Instagram | @richauntiedada
Instagram | @318foodfest
Asia Bailey: Finding More to Love at Home
For Asia Bailey, the desire to create started as a teenager. Watching YouTube creators around 2015–2016 sparked her interest, but it wasn’t until around 2024 that she found the courage to begin creating consistently.
Bailey leaned into something she already loved: exploring. Traveling to places like Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Alabama exposed her to restaurants, events, and experiences she enjoyed sharing with others. Eventually, she realized that the same sense of discovery could happen at home.
After once thinking about eventually leaving Shreveport-Bossier for a larger city, Bailey had what she describes as an “epiphany.”
It made her realize how many opportunities, experiences, and hidden gems were already surrounding her in the 318.
That realization, she said, inspired her to “deepen my passion for my community” and become more intentional about showcasing the “positivity, beauty, people, and businesses that make Shreveport-Bossier special.”
“I feel like I’m on a personal mission to help people see our area from a different perspective,” Bailey said, “and remind them that we don’t always have to leave our city to find something exciting, meaningful, or worth supporting.”
Through local restaurants, events, activities, and hidden gems, Bailey wants her platform to serve as a positive influence while encouraging others to explore their own backyard.
“Ultimately, I want people to see that there is beauty, creativity, opportunity, and community right here at home.”
Though she considers herself still in the growing and learning stage of her creator journey, Bailey has already experienced growth across her social platforms and, perhaps more importantly, her community network. Collaborations with fellow creators and opportunities to experience local restaurants and events have helped her build genuine connections with other creatives and businesses who share her passion for the 318.
TikTok | @Asia Bailey
Instagram | @___lrb