Shop Local Passports

Posted by Lake Superior Community Partnership on November 10, 2014

Shopping locally is ALWAYS important, but we tend to focus on it more this time of year.  With Christmas just around the corner and Black Friday, Shop Local Saturday and Cyber Monday merely weeks away, it is the time of year when people spend the most money shopping and dining out.  Why not support your local community and help keep jobs in our area?

As a follow up to our old gift check program, we have started a shop local campaign to again encourage spending locally. We are selling discount booklets called the Shop Local Passport, which include deals from 25 different partner businesses throughout the county.  Passports costs $10 and can pay for themselves with a single use.  The purpose of this program is to encourage the community to shop locally for the holidays and to also raise money for the business development services we provide businesses at no cost.  At the end of the program, turn in your passport to the place you purchased it and you’ll be entered to win a grand prize from many of the businesses offering discounts, including a $50 Holiday Stationstores gift card.

Marquette County businesses (all LSCP partners) offering discounts in the passport include Back In Balance Massage Therapy, Big Boy of Marquette, Border Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, Casa Calabria, Congress Pizzas, Down Wind Sports, Getz’s Clothiers, Lakeshore Skin Care, Lake Superior Glass Co., Landmark Inn – Northland Pub, L’Attitude Café & Bistro, Look Realty, Mama Russo’s, MC Sports, Michigan Fair, NMU Bookstore, Oasis Fuel, Outlanders Dinners To Go, PEAK Gymnastics & Fitness, Pride Printing and Mailing Services, St. Charles Winery, Togo’s, Washington Shoe Store and Yooper Shirts.  Deals are valid November 1 through December 31.

Shopping locally gives strength and energy to our communities.  Local businesses employ your friends, family and neighbors, provide goods and services and enable those businesses to grow and prosper.  Sixty eight cents of every dollar spent at a locally owned business stays right here in our community.

All of the proceeds raised through this program help us to provide business development services throughout the county including site location, financing, workforce development, strategic/business planning, budget/profit optimization, grant writing, research and much more.

Shop Local Passports can be purchased at our office (501 S. Front St., Marquette), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., at the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce (910 US Hwy 41 West, Ishpeming), Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., on our website or at tonight’s Business After Hours sponsored by TV6/Fox UP at the Comfort Suites from 5 until 7 p.m. Thank you to Holiday Stationstores for their lead support of this program, as well as Q107/ESPN Radio, the Mining Journal and TV6 for helping us to promote shopping local.  Please contact our office (906.226.6591) with any questions or to purchase your passport today.

Amy Clickner, CEO, writes a bi-weekly column for the Mining Journal.