Nov. 14—Starting Wednesday, St. Joseph residents will have the chance to win $10,000 just by shopping locally.
The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce is kicking off the 17th installment of the Shop St. Joseph Holiday Program on Nov. 15, with a new prize offered in addition to the usual rewards.
Over 120 local businesses are partaking this year, giving guests until Dec. 18 to collect tickets for a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize.
The Chamber of Commerce gets to work early to recruit new and returning businesses to take part in the program.
"If you've never participated in Shop St. Joe, we start recruiting people about a month before the Thanksgiving holiday," said Kristi Bailey of the Chamber of Commerce. "Just making sure that the businesses are educated and what Shop St. Joseph is, how they can benefit and getting them educated on how that the program works. and just making sure that the businesses are educated and what Shop St. Joseph is, how they can benefit and getting them educated on how that the program works."
Customers can receive a ticket for the drawing by visiting every participating local business, and they'll receive additional tickets for every $10 spent.
This encourages customers to explore shops they otherwise wouldn't, even if they don't end up buying anything.
"It's pretty much an unlimited number of tickets," Bailey said. "It just depends on how much money you want to spend."
Along with the grand prize and the usual second-chance prizes, new this year, there will also be a $2,500 drawing for those who shop at a small business, defined as 10 or fewer employees.
Garden Gate Flowers, a participating business, is looking forward to taking part in the fun from their new location at 202 S. Eighth St.
"There's so much going on Downtown and St. Joe is only going to help that," said Stacy Fisher, owner of Garden Gate. "It's going to encourage people to spend their money locally and get those tickets for that big chance to win the $10,000. We're super excited to be a part of this."
Event organizers emphasized that Shop St. Joseph is a reminder of the value that small, locally-owned businesses provide a town.
"Your small business owner is your neighbor," Bailey said. "It's the person that you drop off your kids with at the school drop-off. When you shop small, you're helping your friends and neighbors that your taxes are going back into the community to you to fix the roads."
Fisher said it's a win-win for business owners and customers.