Chamber Encourages Residents to Shop Locally This Saturday
After a slow summer, merchants across New York State are hoping to get a big boost in business from the New York Press Association’s (NYPA) “$25 on the 25th” marketing initiative. NYPA recently partnered with the New York State Conference of Mayors and the New York State Economic Development Council to launch a statewide advocacy campaign to encourage New Yorkers to spend $25 on the 25th of September at a local main street business.
According to NYPA’s website, “This special $25 on the 25th promotional event will provide an opportunity for community businesses to restore and expand their customer bases by reminding consumers about the diversity of their products and services, by redefining customer service and by providing a “green” shopping experience that reduces automobile use and pollution while providing access to the local farmers’ markets that frequent Main Street during the growing season.”
At last week’s Board of Trustees meeting, Garden City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Althea Robinson encouraged shoppers to take advantage of the promotion. “The [Garden City] Chamber whole-heartedly supports it,” Robinson said. “The whole idea is, obviously, to encourage people to shop. With the economy the way it is, so many businesses are hurting. We think it’s an absolutely great project,” she said.
Robinson also commented on behalf of John Wilton, chairman of the Merchant Professional Retailers Group, to encourage residents, to “get out and try to do their part and support the merchants,” she said.
The Merchant, Professional and Retailers Group, a Committee of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce, is a coalition of local merchants, shopkeepers, business, medical and professionals. The Group’s collective goal is “to continue to develop an ongoing advertising and marketing campaign to encourage Garden City residents and members of the business community, to direct their consumer dollars to core Village businesses; additionally, to create a marketing campaign to draw consumer dollars from neighboring communities,” according to its website.
In an interview with Garden City Life, Wilton was enthusiastic about the Merchant Professional Retailers Group’s plans for the remainder of the year. “We are starting our fall system of ‘pay it forward’ and shopping Garden City, hospitality Garden City style, so hopefully we’ll be able to have a good kickoff in the fall,” Wilton said.
To learn more about shopping in Garden City, visit www.gardencityshopping. com and view the listings of local businesses. For further details on the $25 on the 25th program, visit www.newyork pressassociation.com.
