Thanksgiving is approaching and many local companies may be thinking about what to give their hardworking employees this holiday season. Fortunately, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce has you covered. The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card makes a great gift, and we can simplify your holiday or bonus giving with a simple call or email to our office.

The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card can be purchased in any denomination from $5 to $500, so if you need groups of $25 cards for newer employees but also want to recognize the loyalty of long-standing employees with some $50 cards, we can simplify that process for you.

The Chamber sells an average of $80,000 in ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards annually. That’s money that goes back into our local economy since these cards can be redeemed only at local participating merchants. But it’s also a broad list of participants! The card is now accepted at over 165 businesses throughout Chautauqua County including restaurants, local wineries, bookstores, gift shops, artisan and locally made items, hardware stores, special experiences, and much more. Throughout the course of our Gift Card (and its predecessor gift check) program, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce has pumped over $3 million back into our local economy.

We often get asked what the return is to the Chamber of Commerce for the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card program. The answer is simple: our return is nothing more than helping to make our local member businesses successful. The Chamber does not charge any fees on card sales, so the price you spend to purchase a card all goes into the value of the gift card itself. Unlike some pre-paid cards you may buy in a store there is no carrying surcharge. When you purchase a ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card the entire amount of your purchase gets added to the value of the card. That’s why only Chamber member businesses can participate in the card program because those annual membership investments help make this program possible.

It is easy for businesses or individuals to order ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards for holiday giving. Visit our website at www.shoplocalchqcard.com and download the order form, fill it out, and email it back to cswanson@chautauquachamber.org. For large quantities of cards we ask that you give us a few days’ notice before you’ll need them, since processing can take a little time as we package each card with its own gift card holder and a list of where the cards can be redeemed. For individual purchases, we encourage you to call ahead at (716) 366-6200 or (716) 484-1101 so we can have your order ready and make the transaction smoother. Our Dunkirk office is open by appointment only, but we can arrange to have gift cards delivered to businesses or to have individuals stop in to pick up their order. Payment is required at the time you take delivery, since all cards are activated in advance. The final day to fill card orders before Christmas will be December 22.

When we support local business, we are supporting our neighbors, our friends, and our community. Giving ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards is a great way to give a gift that gives back to our local community! Your purchase is a welcome gift for your employees, and it goes back into the pockets of our local businesses.

CHAMBER ANNUAL MEETING IS

DECEMBER 2

Register now to attend the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting at noon, Friday, December 2 at Webb’s Captain’s Table in Mayville. This event offers a great opportunity to help celebrate all the successes of the Chamber throughout 2022. Additional details will be announced shortly.

The annual meeting features presentation of the Pam Lydic Coalition Builder Award and election of a slate of board members and officers for the year ahead. The price is $28 for a delicious lunch at Webb’s including soup, salad, and sandwich options.

The Chamber Annual Meeting is sponsored by Brooks-TLC Hospital System, DFT Communications, Jamestown Community College, Law Offices of Sheila Starkey Hahn, Small Business Development Center at JCC, ServPro, OBSERVER, The Post-Journal, and Artone. Register online before November 28 through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org.

MAYVILLE AREA HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE IS THIS WEEKEND AND NEXT

Kickstart your holiday shopping with the Holiday Open House hosted by the Mayville-Chautauqua Community Chamber of Commerce, November 11-12 and November 18-19. On these two Fridays and Saturdays you can visit participating local merchants and pick up a special punch card. Get your card punched at each participating business, and then drop it off at your last stop to enter to win prizes donated by each participating business. 34 local businesses are taking part in the Mayville, Chautauqua, and Dewittville areas. For a full list of participants find the event on Facebook through the Mayville-Chautauqua Community Chamber of Commerce or find the map link through our online calendar event.