Central Huron and its Community Improvement Coordinator were recognized at the recent Provincial Conference for Ontario BIA Associations with the Business Improvement Award for their Gift Card promotion.
Community Improvement Coordinator Angela Smith says what made the promotion so special was that not only does it include BIA stores, but it includes all Central Huron businesses including rural businesses and home-based businesses.
She says the program was also unique in that so many cards were sold and so much of that money supported Central Huron businesses.
“We sold $18,000 worth of cards,” says Smith. “Most of them in $25 or $50 increments, so that’s a lot of gift cards and all of that money was presumably going to be spent on gift cards anyway, but in this manner the money stayed within Central Huron.”
January and February are traditionally the slowest months for retail, but in the early days of 2023, $8,000of that $18,000 was spent in Central Huron businesses. So Smith says that means people have actually received a gift card and then gone out shopping Central Huron in the slowest time of year and she says that is what supports small business.
