Shop Local Saturday and all Month Long, Win Money

Shopping locally is a way to boost the local economy in your town and keep the dollars you spend circulating locally instead of being shipped off to some corporate headquarters somewhere.

This Saturday, during Small Business Saturday (following, by no coincidence, Black Friday) the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority wants to give you extra incentive to shop in the small local businesses downtown -- money.

Or at least the chance to win some.

The first prize in this raffle is $1,000 and the second prize is $500.

Your local merchant wants you! ....and your holiday shopping dollar

Here's how it works: You pay $25 for a ticket and must spend a minimum of $100 between Saturday and Dec. 20th at midnight in stores in the downtown shopping district.

That means store on High Street between York and Evans streets, or stores with the "Buy Local" sign displayed.

Once you've spent at least $100, drop off your receipts and filled out ticket at the PDIDA Office, 17 N. Hanover St., no later than just before midnight on Dec. 20.

The winning entries will be drawn on Saturday, Dec. 21 after the holiday events, which begin at 2 p.m.

You can purchase a raffle ticket at the PDIDA office on North Hanover Street, Grumpy's Hand-carved Sandwiches, 137 E. High St. or at Cole's Tobacco, 215 E. High St. 

(We'll be publishing a schedule of those in the coming days.)

Don't forget, PDIDA notes, when you buy local:

1) You know that your LOCAL economy is being helped, which mean better policing, cleaner streets and better roads. Consider, 63 percent of your dollar stays local when you shop local, while only 42 percent of your dollar stays in your community when you shop at a big box store. 

2) It helps you get to know the community on a more personal level. Growing together and facing the hard times during a weak economy. This in turn brings about volunteerism, bartering for services and friendships that can never be formed when you go to the big box store. 

3)You get a warm fuzzy feeling because you know you have just helped a mom and pop heat their home, gave their children warm coats for the winter or helped contribute to the college fund for their oldest, soon on her way to becoming a responsible adult. 

For more information, call Pottstown's Main Street Manager, Sheila Dugan, at 484-948-6061 / 610-323-5400 OR check out the PDIDA website at www.downtownpottstown.org.

According to Wikipedia, Small Business Saturday is an American shopping holiday held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. First observed on November 27, 2010, it is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores respectively. By contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local.

In 2010 the holiday was conceived and promoted by American Express via a nationwide radio and television advertising campaign. That year Amex bought advertising inventory on Facebook, which it in turn gave to its small merchant account holders, and also gave rebates to new customers to promote the event.