Fifteen years ago, the American Express Company launched the first Small Business Saturday promotion, and it’s been growing ever since. Small Business Saturday is a day aimed at encouraging support of small locally owned businesses. At the CHQ Chamber, support for small businesses is baked into everything we do. In fact, it’s right in our mission statement: to build vital connections, provide professional resources, and champion our local businesses in Chautauqua County.

A recently updated study by Capital One shows that 68 cents of every dollar spent at locally owned retailers remains in the local economy. When you shop at a big box store, just 43-cents of that same dollar goes back into the local economy. Those returns are felt in wages for employees, payments to vendors and suppliers, and more. When you shop only at major online retailers there is no return to the local economy. That same study shows that retail sales in New York State increased 3.9% in 2023. Over 8% of small businesses are retailers.

We are so fortunate in Chautauqua County to have a wide variety of small retail businesses selling everything from kitchenware to books to games to jewelry, clothing, art, and more. Chances are, if you’re looking for a gift for someone on your list you can find it at a small locally owned business. These businesses are owned by and employ our friends, neighbors, and family members.

We recognize the importance of small, independent businesses not only as an economic driver but as key to creating our sense of community. Many communities may be the site of big box stores, but it’s the small retailers and restaurants that truly cater to who we are as a community and provide unique spaces for residents and visitors alike to shop and dine. As much as our local attractions and recreational opportunities set the stage for how we live, work, and play, so do our small businesses. They are the backdrop that makes us special. We hope you’ll enjoy the experience of shopping at small locally owned businesses this holiday season and all year round.

Play Along in the Holiday Window Decorating Contest and Enter to Win up to $1,000 in ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards

The CHQ Chamber Holiday Window Decorating Contest for local businesses is now live online! You can visit your favorite participating businesses, check-in and earn points to be entered into a prize drawing, and vote for your top three favorite windows!

Here’s how the contest works: from your phone browser, go to go.chqchamber.org. You’ll see the Holiday Window Decorating pass and should click Sign Up. On the pop-up window click Check Out to input your contact information and then click Complete Order. Now you can vote and start check-ins at local businesses to be entered into our prize drawing! For each check-in you’ll get 5 points. Once you have earned 20 points (4 check-ins) you can redeem them for an entry into the drawing for one of two $100 ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards. If you earn 40 points (8 check-ins) you can redeem them for an entry into a drawing for a $300 ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card. If you earn 50 points (10 check-ins) you can redeem them for an entry for a $500 ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card! There is no purchase required at any time to participate in this contest, but we do hope you’ll check out our local businesses and see all the terrific holiday merchandise they have to offer.

In addition to checking in, we hope you’ll vote for your top three favorite windows! You’ll see the Vote Now button on the page. You can check in and vote once every 24 hours. You will also have the option to adjust your votes after you have viewed more windows and check-in at a variety of locations, so your votes will not be tallied until the close of the contest at midnight December 15. The top three vote-getting businesses will earn advertising packages with a total value of $2000 from the CHQ Chamber.

Amy Rohler to Receive Pam Lydic Coalition Builder Award

For her work in bringing together the two United Ways in Chautauqua County, Amy Rohler has been selected to receive the Pam Lydic Coalition Builder Award from the CHQ Chamber for 2024.

Ms. Rohler is Executive Director of the United Way of Chautauqua County, which formed as a merger of the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County and the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County this year after several years of successful partnership and shared services. She has been Executive Director of the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County for seven years and was previously the Executive Director of Community Helping Hands. She is passionate about problem-solving, collaboration and community change.

The award is named in memory of Pam Lydic who was the first President and CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, having pulled together a variety of smaller community business organizations to strengthen the whole, financially and programmatically. Following her untimely passing in 2012, the Chamber launched this award in her memory to recognize an individual who has worked hard to bring groups of people together around a common goal or objective to move the region forward in a positive direction.

The award will be presented during the Chamber’s Annual Meeting December 13 at the White Inn in Fredonia.

During the Annual Meeting, the membership will vote on a slate of officers and board members for the coming year. Board leadership positions will remain the same as this year. Heather Brown of The Resource Center will serve as Board Chair. Continuing their duties in additional officer roles will be Vice Chair Emily Reynolds of Cornell Cooperative Extension Chautauqua County; Treasurer John Felton of Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, and Secretary Courtney Curatolo of the Small Business Development Center.

Newly named to the board is John Davis of Ashville General Store; Dawn Espersen of Dave’s Outlet Store in Silver Creek representing the Hanover Committee; Kim Maras of Westfield Boatworks representing the Westfield Committee; and Monica Simpson of the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth representing the Dunkirk Committee. Continuing to serve in existing terms are Dr. Stephen Kolison of the State University of New York at Fredonia, Robert Mazza of Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, Arthur Pearson of the Roger Tory Peterson

Institute, and Kristofor Sellstrom of the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities. Additional community committee representatives are Larry Fiorella, HBKS Wealth Management, Fredonia; Vicki McGraw, Elegant Edibles Catering, Jamestown; and Brian Pender, Northlake Development, Mayville.

The CHQ Chamber Annual Meeting will be held at noon, Friday, December 13 at the newly re-opened White Inn in Fredonia. The keynote speaker will be Lesley Zemsky, Vice President of Larkin Development in Buffalo. The CHQ Chamber Annual Meeting is sponsored by Brooks-TLC Hospital System/Kaleida Health, County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency, Jamestown Community College, LaBella Associates, Media One Radio Group, Observer, and The Post-Journal. The cost is $35 for lunch. Registration is open now through the web calendar at www.chqchamber.org. We urge all Chamber members who are not able to attend to complete the proxy vote form available online at www.chqchamber.org/proxy-vote-form.