Discussion focus on local shopping promotion

Friday morning saw a meeting of the minds regarding the 21 Days of Christmas event and how to promote shopping local.

Regarding the 21 Days of Christmas, Meri Ann Rush recapped. The event this year had drawings for Chamber Bucks on three different Saturdays, whereas the previous year had all the drawings on one day. Customers at participating businesses have opportunities to fill out tickets to get their names in the drawings.

Rush suggested going back to one day for all the drawings, and have it a couple weeks before Christmas. Another suggestion, she noted, was rather than have drawings for $200, $300 and $500 in Chamber Bucks, the one day of drawings could be for 10 prizes of $100 each.

Deb Tudor suggested doing five drawings of $200 each could help keep people from having to draw names for a long time. Those participating in the 21 Days promotion have to be present to win so names are drawn until winner is found, which could take some time.

The 2016 21 Days event started at Moonlight Madness, and the same start time is planned for 2017. Rush said this gives five to six weeks to collect tickets and get merchants familiar with the promotion before the holiday rush.

Looking at how to promote shopping local, Howie Samelson noted during ArtStroll meetings there has been discussion about having those merchants already open late promote sales in their businesses. That way, people are not just coming for the artists but also to shop. It was further suggested these sales might be added to the ArtStroll maps.

Suzanne Samelson noted there are about 10-15 maps per store, but not all the maps are taken or turned in so it's difficult to get an exact number of participants. She noted they have started printing some extra maps for the hotels, and Howie said they are getting the maps printed sooner so businesses have them ahead of time, not just the night of the ArtStroll.

Shurie Scheel suggested merchants might be hesitant to have a sale on the day of the ArtStroll, knowing there would already be increased traffic in their stores. Rush said feedback she's heard from retailers indicate they don't really sell much during ArtStrolls, and having the sales could get their registers moving more.

Suzanne suggested the idea of getting restaurants that are open evenings tied in with the ArtStroll as well. Rush said it might be good to approach restaurants that have been contacted before but are now under new management or leadership.

Looking further into how to promote shopping local, Rush asked for ideas of how to engage the community and consumers. She noted she has articles to post online about the benefits of shopping local and how much the dollar rotates back into the community, and they need to be pro-active in promotion of local shopping.

Scheel said one way to promote shopping local could involve showing people how even if they go somewhere outside Thermopolis, it's really not saving them anything when factoring costs such as fuel, food and vehicle wear and tear.

Barb Rice said she does everything she can here in Thermopolis, as going out of town can be both time- and energy-consuming. She added she has found items here at the same price they're sold elsewhere.

Howie noted one of the biggest challenges facing local businesses, even more than people going outside the community, is online shopping. Rush said showing people a comparison of prices could be expanded to show them items which are cheaper locally rather than online. Suzanne brought up the option people have of visiting with local merchants, to request they get specific items if they can.

Rice said Shop Small Saturday advertising is important but could be simplified, as while it's important to remind people to shop locally it can be overwhelming to continually remind people of all the reasons why they should. Rush said it's important to remind people to be pro-active year-round.

Rush also pointed out its important for retailers to know what not only their business carries but others as well, so if a customer is looking for a specific item they can direct them to where they can find it in town.

Rice said she looks at other retailers as a measure of how well the community is doing. Having lived here her whole life, she said, "this is not the same shopping experience."

Further meetings to discuss shopping local are planned for the first Friday every month. The focus is on how to boost local shopping and educate more people on the benefits of shopping local. The next meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3, at Black Bear Cafe.