AMESBURY – Coming off a holiday season that saw patrons returning to local restaurants and retailers in mass, Amesbury area businesses have teamed-up to keep momentum going through what is typically a quieter time of year.
“We like to make shopping fun,” laughed Dena Talbot, owner of Board & Brush in downtown Amesbury. “So, we borrowed an idea to do a Shop Local Bingo for February.”
Talbot described how she and other businesses worked with the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce by holding regular downtown business meetings in fall 2021. Given that the end of year holidays already provide a big boost to businesses, the working group encouraged more events during some of the normally slower winter months, like February.
“Amesbury has a rich collection of shops and restaurants, and we have it as a goal to continue to develop ways to attract visitors. Since we haven’t historically done big promotions in February, we decided to give Shop Local Bingo a try,” said Billie McLane, owner of Billie’s on Main Street.
The Amesbury Chamber’s Bingo game includes the creation of a game card laid out like a traditional Bingo card, but instead of numbers, each square is filled with a different business logo.
“Players earn a bingo by collecting the receipts of businesses that appear in an entire row, column, or running diagonally,” explained Antoinette Whitney, owner of Ovedia Artisan Chocolates and Chair of the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors. “The receipts have to be from purchases made in February 2022, and when a person has collected a bingo’s worth of receipts, they need to send copies – either physically or electronically – to the Amesbury Chamber. The first 50 submissions will receive a $10 Amesbury Chamber gift card.”
In addition to the first 50 submissions earning gift card prizes, all submissions will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win prizes of $100, $250, and $500, with winning names being pulled in March.
Phil DeCologero, Executive Director of the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce, explained there are some limits.
“One gift card per person, regardless of how many bingos they get,” explained DeCologero. “However, each bingo earns a person an entry into the bigger drawings, with no limits to the number of times they’re entered. And the first person who submits copies of receipts from all participating businesses, completing the card, will be gifted a $100 Amesbury Chamber gift card.”
This promotion is supported by the partnership of the Amesbury Chamber with Institution for Savings.
“We know it can be slower in February, especially for restaurants and retailers,” said Megan Gaiero, Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager at Institution for Savings. “This is a simple way to encourage more visits to our businesses, without complicated rules. And I like how many different prizes there are for supporting local!”
Gaiero, a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, said she liked how this promotion came from conversations with so many businesses.
“One of the things I love about our businesses is that they’re always looking to work together to lift everyone up,” said Gaiero.
For more information about Shop Local Bingo, including rules and gameplay, visit www.AmesburyChamber.com.
