The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card is putting cash into the hands of local participating merchants and boosting our local economy. In 2023, $54,148 was spent with local businesses as customers redeemed ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards for all kinds of products and services. That’s an increase of 8% from the prior year.

Restaurants and pizzerias made $7,450 thanks to the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card, while coffee shops and delis had $5,136 in sales. Entertainment, recreation, and service industries totaled $2,684; liquor stores, wineries and breweries took in $2,609. Gifts and specialty retailers sold $2,212 in merchandise with the gift card, while home furnishings and hardware sold $1,484. By far, the greatest total in gift card usage was at local grocery stores at $32,575.

If you’re a retailer or a service industry, these sales figures may not sound like much to you. But when you look at the bigger picture, these collective sales totals represent real people who made real decisions to shop at local stores, dine at local restaurants, and experience local businesses and attractions because they had a gift card in their hand that drives those choices.

Our mission is to build vital connections, provide professional resources, and champion our local businesses in Chautauqua County. The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card connects customers to local businesses, provides a resource for local merchants to help boost their business, and allows us to promote the 175 local participating merchants who accept the card. As far as the Chamber’s mission goes, this program is a win, win, win. It checks all our boxes for a program on mission that benefits local businesses in a variety of ways.

As one the largest business associations in Western New York, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is always working for the benefit of our member businesses and organizations. As we manage the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card program throughout the year, we reflect on sales numbers periodically to help demonstrate how we have helped. Although it costs money for the Chamber to purchase the cards, manage card activations and sales, and promote the program, we do this for the benefit of local businesses. We can maintain this program thanks to the membership investments made by our local participating merchants, and with some support from the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth.

If you received a ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card recently, it almost certainly came with a brochure featuring the participating merchants who accept the card. That list is always up to date on our website at www.shoplocalchqcard.com. You can check your card balance any time at www.getmybalance.com. When you are ready to make a purchase with the card, make sure the merchant runs it as a credit card transaction through their system.

If you are a local restaurant, retailer, or other business interested in participating, it’s easy to get you set up. If you are already a Chamber member our staff can run a test card through your point-of-sale system and have you ready to accept the card in a matter of days. If you’re not a member but are interested in the program, it’s easy and inexpensive to join the Chamber and get started. Many of our participating merchants reap more in card sales annually than the cost of their membership.

A quick reminder to local businesses that participate, we invite you to use the social media toolkit created last year to help promote that your business accepts the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card, and be sure to post our window cling on your door to invite card-holders into your establishment. If you need assistance or have a new point-of-sale system, we are happy to help you. Just call our office.

The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card is available year-round, and also makes a great gift for showers, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or any occasion.

Business Builder Workshop: Insuring Your Business Success

If your small business is looking for guidance on business planning or understanding the ins and outs of liability insurance, we have a workshop for you. The Chamber’s Business Builder Workshop this coming Monday, January 22, is titled Insuring Your Business Success, and will feature Tyler Gotowka from Lawley Insurance, and Beth Reed and Brian Rovegno from the Small Business Development Center. All small businesses can benefit from these discussions about maintaining affordable liability insurance, business planning, and tweaking these items to meet your goals for the new year. This session will be held from 1-3pm, Monday at the Carlson Community Center at Lakeside Park, 50 West Lake Road, Mayville. Registration is open now through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chqchamber.org.

Doors Open Jamestown is February 3

Nineteen local venues will participate in Doors Open Jamestown, Saturday, February 3. Doors Open is designed as a day when local museums and attractions open their doors to the public for free, providing opportunities for local people to get a taste of the many assets available right here in our own community. Participating this year are: Audubon Community Nature Center; Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center; Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame; *Fenton History Center; Infinity Visual and Performing Arts; Jamestown Prendergast Library; Lucile M. Wright Air Museum; *Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum; Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown; Martz-Kohl Observatory; Marvin Community House; *National Comedy Center; *Northwest Arena; Partridge-Sheldon House; Pearl City Clay House; Reg Lenna Center for the Arts; Robert H. Jackson Center; Roger Tory Peterson Institute; and Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys & Girls Club. Those marked with an asterisk require pre-registration and restrictions may apply. Please check those venues’ websites for details. Doors Open will run from 10am-4pm and will feature a scavenger hunt using questions at each location with answers to be submitted by text. Some local businesses will also take part in the text scavenger hunt with more details to be announced soon.