Teen Drives Morris County Businesses

By Mariana Simioni

Most teens scroll through Instagram. Giovanni DiDomenico built a business on it. 

At 14, Giovanni created and launched Shop Morris County (shopmorriscounty.com), an Instagram page turned full-blown digital guide dedicated to showcasing local businesses, restaurants, and events. 

“What really inspired me was helping small businesses,” he said. “A lot of them need support.”

He said the idea came to him when he had lunch at a Boonton restaurant that he thought could use some help. The restaurant has since closed, but with entrepreneurial guidance from his father, John, Giovanni began using his phone camera to spotlight neighborhood companies.

Within a year, the platform expanded into a website that now draws roughly 60,000 monthly impressions. On Instagram alone, Shop Morris County recently surpassed 100,000 views in 30 days.

Shop Morris County has partnered with local businesses through events at Margarita’s in Dover, the Randolph Freedom Festival, the Tri-County Fair, and the Hannaford Circus. These partnerships promote events across social media and the Shop Morris County website and mail printed ads directly to local homes. 

“We help people see what’s going on in the area and help them connect,” said Giovanni, who manages all facets of the operation. 

Instagram remains the main traffic driver, and the team also maintains its website.

Valentina Acosta, manager at Margarita’s Bar & Grill in Dover, said a networking event with Shop Morris County brought visibility to the newly opened restaurant.

“They had great exposure on social media… and they were willing to help us, knowing that we had just opened about six months ago,” she said. 

The event drew more than 65 local business owners and entrepreneurs, many of whom stayed for dinner and karaoke. 

“Many of them have now become repeat customers,” Acosta said. “The first one was a success, so we're planning to host these events every three to four months.”

When he’s not working on the website, Giovanni, now 16, Ålives in Parsippany with his parents, Kinga and John, and three siblings. This fall, he will accelerate his coursework at Acellus Academy, an online school, to better balance his education with growing his business. He’s on track to graduate months ahead of schedule. 

After graduation, he plans to trade textbooks for business plans, choosing real-world experiences over college classrooms. 

“I knew what I wanted to do,” he said. “I love making a positive impact in the community.”