Everyone needs to ‘Shop Charlotte’

If nothing else, put yourselves in the shoes of others. It might not matter to you where you buy your car or holiday gifts or business cards — or shoes — but it sure does matter to your fellow Charlotte County citizens. Whether you are still in business, retired from business, or are in any other way affiliated with a business, the word “success” probably means a little something to you. Keeping the money flowing in and not out of Charlotte County means success for the entire community. When you see it and hear it, that’s what this whole “Shop Charlotte” thing means.

“We’ve been doing the Shop Charlotte program for more than 15 years during the holiday season, but realized the message is important year-round,” said Julie Mathis, executive director  of the Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce. “Years ago, we said ‘Shop Charlotte First’ because we didn’t have as strong a retail infrastructure locally as we do now. The idea today is to encourage residents to take advantage of all local service providers.”

Originally, the program consisted mainly of encouraging storefronts with marquees to post the “Shop Charlotte First” slogan during December. After undergoing an extreme makeover recently, a logo was designed, promotional materials were created, and a plan for promoting the “Shop Charlotte” message is being implemented.

“We’re asking our chamber members to put stickers on their front door, in their drive-thru lines, on the windows of their trucks — anywhere that it will be visible to the community,” Ms. Mathis said. “Outdoor signs, email signatures, envelopes and receipts are all great places to promote the cause. We even asked Charlotte County Utilities to print ‘Shop Charlotte… shopping local makes cents’ on their bills. And they agreed.”

History proves that local businesses build communities. Shopping close to home creates jobs and pumps up the tax base. Keeping the money flowing within the area supports the schools and public safety organizations. People just need to be continuously reminded of these facts, and that is exactly what the Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce plans to do.

“We’re also working on the details of a second marketing phase for after the first of the year,” Ms. Mathis said. “We will encourage consumers to use the logo on their cars, as a decal or bumper sticker, to perhaps be eligible for a gift donated by a chamber member, which they’ll have to go pick up at the business. This will get the whole community involved and gets customers into businesses.”

And that’s the name of the game. Shop Charlotte.

NewsBits

… Stop by Friday at the corner of U.S. 41 and Olympia for a fun time by Gregg’s Automotive and the National Car Care Council. They will conduct FREE, no nonsense, no pressure, inspections on your vehicle as mandated by the Car Care Council of America to keep vehicles safe, reliable and efficient … and THEN, the “great pumpkin” will be weighed on an FDOT scale to determine the winner of the weight contest … Plan early — dates are limited for the Trolley Christmas Light Tours, which take people to see holiday light displays. Tickets are now available at Centennial Bank in Punta Gorda.

Go-To Sites of the Week

charlottervcenter thetropicalstore.com fishville.com swissconnectionsusa.com tikisclothing.com piesandplates.com

(Teri Ashley is the business development officer for Centennial Bank in Punta Gorda and Port Char lotte. She can be contacted at TeriAshley@rocketmail.com or 979-2128.)