It’s gift-buying season, and we have two suggestions for you. First, please check out the extraordinary merchandise and excellent customer service you will find when you shop at small locally owned retailers. There’s nothing like the experience of supporting small shops, whether you’re looking for clothing, books, housewares, toys, and more. Second, if you can’t make up your mind or have a challenging person on your list, consider the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card.

The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card makes a great gift for employees, clients, colleagues, family, or friends. It can be purchased in any amount from $5 to $500 and can be redeemed at over 165 local participating merchants for everything from dining to gift shopping to services.

When you give a ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card, you can be assured that the recipient will find a local business (or more than one) where they can use the card. Whether they choose to have an experience such as visiting a local museum, winery, or attraction, buying necessities at the grocery or hardware store, purchasing a gift for yourself or someone else, or a great meal at a local restaurant, this one card will be supporting our local economy. In 2022, consumers used over $50,000 in ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards to make purchases right here in Chautauqua County. That number is already on track to increase this year.

The Chamber absorbs all costs associated with this program and received a grant this year from the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth to help improve all our Shop Small efforts including the gift card program. Because it costs the Chamber to operate the program, we do require that participating merchants be Chamber members to help cover our expenses. We run this program entirely for the benefit of local businesses, which falls perfectly in line with our mission: to build vital connections, provide professional resources, and champion our local businesses in Chautauqua County. If your company does not accept the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card and you would like to know more, call the Chamber at (716) 484-1101 or visit us online.

To make it easier to purchase ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards, the Chamber is staffing its Jamestown office at 300 North Main Street from 8am-4:30pm Monday-Friday, and its Dunkirk office at 10785 Bennett Road from 9am-4:30pm December 11, 12, 16 and 17. We ask that you plan to pick up all orders no later than December 20 for Christmas giving.

Processing orders for multiple cards does take some time, so we urge you to call in advance at (716) 484-1101 extension 300 or email Staunzie Grady at sgrady@chqchamber.org. A convenient order form, and more details, can be found on our website at www.shoplocalchqcard.com.

The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card is issued by Pathward™, N.A., Member FDIC. Funds do not expire. Non-reloadable and no cash access. For Cardholder Agreement or Customer Service: www.getmybalance.com or 1-833-558-1088.

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.

Last Call for Chamber Annual Meeting Registration

Limited space remains for the CHQ Chamber Annual Meeting, which will be held at noon, Friday, December 13 at the White Inn in Fredonia. All registrations are due by noon Monday, December 9. You may sign up online through the Chamber’s web calendar are www.chqchamber.org.

Highlights of this event will be presentation of the 2024 Pam Lydic Coalition Bulder Award to Amy Rohler, Executive Director of United Way of Chautauqua County for her work in bringing together the two United Ways in Chautauqua County as well as election of a slate of officers and board members for the coming year. The keynote speaker will be Leslie Zemsky, Vice President of Larkin Development Group 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. 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.