The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce unveiled a contest for shoppers in an effort to promote local businesses. The message is "shop small," meant to encourage residents to do their buying at area small business rather than big-name retailers. The contest will be running for one day, the Saturday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday, designated as "Small Business Saturday."
Participants can download print a 'passport' from the S.I. Chamber of Commerce website. Each time the holder shops from a participating small business on the island on Saturday the 29th, their passport will be stamped. Many of these businesses will be having special offers and giveaways as incentives. Shopping at eight of these participating locations on this day will gain the shopper entry to win a $500 American Express giftcard.
[A group of S.I. small business owners joined by Chamber of Commerce CEO Linda Baran, pictured outside of Wicked Stitches in West Brighton. Photo source: silive.com]
"Small business Saturday" was founded in 2010 by American Express, shedding light on the importance of small businesses in communities nationwide. According to the Chamber of Commerce, small businesses provide 65% of new jobs on the island, and $68 on every $100 spent in local business is put back into the community through tax-generated projects and other improvements.
Linda Baran, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, hopes to raise awareness of Small Business Saturday with consumers and small business owners alike. She was quoted on silive/com saying, "We've reached out to at least 150 small businesses to tell them about the program, and we want to get the word out early among consumers, so people know they can shop local."
Posted by Dil Gillani on
Leave A Comment