APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – As the holiday shopping season is about to ramp up, local small businesses are excited about Small Business Saturday.
It’s an annual day designed to get folks to shop at locally-owned retailers and eat at locally-owned restaurants.
“The business owners downtown have repeatedly said it’s one of their best days of the year in terms of sales,” said Anne Wiegman, Marketing Director for Appleton Downtown Inc. “And they also love the opportunity to talk with their customers and tell them personally, thank you.”
Wiegman says 95 small businesses across the city will take the idea to another level, by taking part in the “Shop Appleton First Small Business Passport”.
“This program has been very popular the last two years so we are excited to offer it again this year,” Wiegman said. “By partnering with the city of Appleton and the Appleton Northside Business Association, it has proven to be a great way to make customers aware of the multitude of small businesses throughout the city who appreciate this kind of support all year long.”
When people buy something at a participating business and present the passport, they will earn a stamp. They can earn one chance to win prizes for every 5 stamps. When a passport is filled with five stamps, it should be turned in to the retailer to be entered in the random drawing for prizes.
Wiegman says two grand prizes will be awarded this year, one for a $350 shopping spree at Appleton Northside businesses and the other for a $350 shopping spree at Downtown Appleton businesses.
You can get the passport, along with the participating businesses and their specials, as an insert wrapper in the Appleton Post-Crescent’s Thanksgiving Day newspaper and at those participating businesses. Event details are also available on the Small Business Saturday Northeast Wisconsin Facebook page.
