Local First Coupon Books Encourage Shopping Local in Tough Economy.
Local First, Grand Rapid's rapidly-growing local business organization, creates coupon books to encourage shoppers to keep their spending money local. The books offer nearly 450 coupons from over 200 participating businesses.
Grand Rapids, MI, February 09, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The Local First Coupon Books, which debuted last Thanksgiving, continue to be a popular seller during an otherwise generally slow shopping season. To date, over 1,000 of the $15 books have been sold. Local First is hoping to sell 2,000 more books in the next couple months. The books are sold at over 40 participating businesses as well as Local First’s Wealthy Street headquarters. A complete list can be found at Local First’s website, www.localfirst.com.
The purpose of offering these savings books is to encourage shoppers to keep their spending money local, which has an immediate impact on our region, notes Local First Executive Director. “Supporting locally owned businesses keeps up to 73% more money and hundreds of jobs in our community,” said Local First Executive Director Elissa Hillary.
Amy Ruis, owner of Art of the Table and a West Michigan consumer, is pleased with her purchase of the coupon book “I made my money back on the first coupon I used,” Ruis said.
Sally Bulthuis, co-owner of Pooh’s Corner, said customers are realizing her store is locally owned now that she is selling the coupon books. “Just the presence of the book on our counter gives us another opportunity to talk with folks about the importance of shopping locally,” said Bulthuis.
Tee 2 Green owner Jimmy Wisinski also notices the effects of the coupon book. “It has changed my personal behavior and the behavior of those around me as we all try to shop local as often as possible,” Wisinski said. “At Tee 2 Green we had several customers mention that they are trying to support local and family owned retail stores this winter and during the holiday season.”
The initial printing of the Local First Coupon Book was funded by a grant from the Social Venture Investors. The proceeds from the book support the production of next year’s coupon book and Local First’s educational outreach efforts.
“Right now, we are at a turning point—we need to think about what we want our community to look like five, ten, twenty years down the road,” said Hillary. “If we want to have a unique community with thriving neighborhoods and diverse industries, we need to support our local entrepreneurs.”
About Local First:
Local First, www.localfirst.com, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage the development of a vibrant, sustainable West Michigan economy by promoting local business ownership, social equity, and environmental kinship through education, support and collaboration.
###
The purpose of offering these savings books is to encourage shoppers to keep their spending money local, which has an immediate impact on our region, notes Local First Executive Director. “Supporting locally owned businesses keeps up to 73% more money and hundreds of jobs in our community,” said Local First Executive Director Elissa Hillary.
Amy Ruis, owner of Art of the Table and a West Michigan consumer, is pleased with her purchase of the coupon book “I made my money back on the first coupon I used,” Ruis said.
Sally Bulthuis, co-owner of Pooh’s Corner, said customers are realizing her store is locally owned now that she is selling the coupon books. “Just the presence of the book on our counter gives us another opportunity to talk with folks about the importance of shopping locally,” said Bulthuis.
Tee 2 Green owner Jimmy Wisinski also notices the effects of the coupon book. “It has changed my personal behavior and the behavior of those around me as we all try to shop local as often as possible,” Wisinski said. “At Tee 2 Green we had several customers mention that they are trying to support local and family owned retail stores this winter and during the holiday season.”
The initial printing of the Local First Coupon Book was funded by a grant from the Social Venture Investors. The proceeds from the book support the production of next year’s coupon book and Local First’s educational outreach efforts.
“Right now, we are at a turning point—we need to think about what we want our community to look like five, ten, twenty years down the road,” said Hillary. “If we want to have a unique community with thriving neighborhoods and diverse industries, we need to support our local entrepreneurs.”
About Local First:
Local First, www.localfirst.com, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage the development of a vibrant, sustainable West Michigan economy by promoting local business ownership, social equity, and environmental kinship through education, support and collaboration.
###
Contact
Clark Communications
Craig Clark
(616) 550-2736
Craig Clark
(616) 550-2736
Contact
Categories