Small Business Saturday gained speed and set up shop across urban America during the holidays. Now, its spirit of community unity can be enjoyed well into the spring season with the arrival of Shop Local Week, from February 23rd through March 1st, in local Oshkosh businesses.
“With Shop Local Week, I just want everybody to change their way of thinking, and I would love to have, by the end of the year, after the fourth Shop Local Week, these local businesses quadruple, and their customer base too.” said Connie Carmical of Shop Local Oshkosh. “We’re all about driving new business, and we just want to help them grow, and stay in Oshkosh, and let people find out what’s so unique about Oshkosh.”
Shop Local itself is not an Oshkosh- based organization, but has sprouted branches across the Fox Valley. However, the current Shop Local Week includes only area participants based within the city. Although it still involves over 50 locations.
“Our idea is to change the way people think when they go shopping. Instead of shopping at the big-box stores and online, we want them to shop local, because then all the money stays in Oshkosh,” said Carmical. “All the business owners either have kids in school, or had kids in school, they support non-profits, and they support them in return and keep their business going?”
Participants vary vastly, ranging from cafes and restaurants like Glass Nickel Pizza, to services and product providers like Kitz and Pfeil. Locations are also diverse in their geography, and are spread widely across the map of Oshkosh. The one aspect they all share in common though, is an inherent interest in the community.
“You guys just had a play at West. Who bought the ads for that program? Family- owned businesses,” said Planet Perk Café owner, Ken Osmond. “We’re running out of places where we can have our voice be heard, and you’re only going to have so many plays a year, with so many programs distributed, so we need Shop Local to get the word out.”
Shop Local curates four of these weeks each year, and each one benefits a different non-profit organization. This week’s recipient is the Oshkosh Area Humane Society. Clientele shopping at designated “drop-off site” businesses, can donate supplies to the organization, while simultaneously supporting the community.
“There are several reasons why Shop Local is so critical. Number one: nothing locally functions without family and locally owned businesses,” said Osmond. “If you spend a dollar in this shop, or any other family- owned business, 83 cents of it will stay in Winnebago County. If you spend money at big-chain-stores, like Starbucks or Olive Garden, only 43 cents will stay in Winnebago County.”
In order to accomplish its mission of bringing business to businesses, Shop Local Week has created a passport program for customers to use while traveling around town. Shoppers can collect stamps by dropping off donations or purchasing from participants.
“The passport idea is a great way to get the community involved and get people going to and visiting all of these different businesses that they may have never heard of before,” said Carmical. “If they live on the west side of town, they may have never shopped downtown; if they live downtown, they may not shop on another side of town.
The passport program offers an incentive to solve this location problem by entering those with 10 or more stamps into a drawing for more than 100 prizes. Those who collect more than 25 stamps, qualify for the chance to win a big- screen TV.
“We’re from Oshkosh, and so I really do believe that one of the ways to actually help our own families strengthen up their resources is to reinvest back into our own businesses,” said Nancy Schultz of Oshkosh Heating and Air. “Otherwise, all of our money is going to go into the internet and somebody else’s pockets; it would be so much better if we could actually make ourselves stronger by buying from each other.”
Not only will purchasing from small businesses strengthen Oshkosh residents; it will also benefit those less fortunate in the area.
“One of the drop off stations suggested OAHS be the beneficiary of Shop Local Week and we were honored to be included,” said Oshkosh Area Humane Society community coordinator Cheryl Rosenthal. “Anytime we can project information out to the community about the work we do as OAHS, and how we help both people and pets is paramount to our success as an organization.”
Citizens of Oshkosh can accomplish this dual goal by contributing basic supplies to the humane society, and Shop Local Week can offer help by raising revenue and awareness.
“If you know the Humane Society, they really don’t turn away any animals, and yet they do not have any money to not be turning away animals,” said Schultz. “ This will definitely impact them, so that’s positive all by itself, but also, when you reinvest money into your own community, when you buy from me, that means I have a little more resources to buy from someone else. It’s a perpetual snowball effect.”
The weeks’ focus on community camaraderie is reflected in its concurrent celebration of philanthropy and profit, which plays a role in many area businesses as well.
“My favorite part is seeing our community coming together to support local businesses and their local Humane Society,” said Rosenthal. “By working together, we can all make a difference for people and pets in our community and ensure the prosperity of locally owned businesses at the same time. It’s a win- win situation for everyone.”
By Laura Zornosa
SHOP…. DONATE….. WIN!!!
During Shop Local Week, SHOP at participating local businesses,
DONATE items for the Humane Society,
And you have a chance to WIN over 100 prizes and a 49inch TV!
Shop Local Week is happening in the following communities:
Shop Local Oshkosh: www.ShopLocalOshkosh.com
Donations go to the Oshkosh Area Humane Society and drop off sites (listed on website and passport).
Shop Local Appleton: www.ShopLocalAppleton.com
Donations go to the Fox Valley Humane Association and drop off sites (listed on website and passport).
Shop Local Neenah: www.ShopLocalNeenah.com
Donations go to the Neenah Animal Shelter and drop off sites (listed on website and passport).
Shop Local Green Bay: www.ShopLocalGreenBay.com
Donations go to the Bay Area Humane Association and drop off sites (listed on website and passport).
