Page 6 - Suburban Living Fuquay-Varina

It All Starts With Shopping LocalSmall Business Saturday, which falls on the day after Black Friday, is the most well-known “Shop Local” campaign in the country, mostly because it has been adopted and promoted by American Express. There are other, more local, efforts to promote spending retail dollars with small businesses within individual communities. Some of these efforts are becoming very popular, and Fuquay- Varina is certainly trying out several creative ideas this year.Spend $20 on the 20thA campaign that is about six months old is the “Spend $20 on the 20th” initiative, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and three local merchants. Created in the spiritof a cash mob, the Spend$20 on the 20th campaign isdesigned to attract shoppersinto local small businesseson the 20th of every month tospend at least $20 in supportof local shopkeepers. Thosesame shopkeepers offerspecials on the 20th to bringthose shoppers into theirstores. Specials range fromfree merchandise if you spend$20, to percentages off if youcan show receipts from other local stores. The hope is that as this event spreads through town, more and moreresidents will make a concerted effort to get out in town on that specific date to pick up a few great deals and inject a little cash into the local retail scene.The initiative has a Facebook page, Spend $20 on the 20th Fuquay-Varina, that promotes all the various specials on the 20th of every month, and businesses are encouraged to create specials and post them on the Facebook page. It is completely free for businesses to jump onto the campaign, and the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce has fliers and materials for social media to help promote the campaign. Residents can also use the Facebook page to watch for specials and figure out which shops to visit on the 20th every month. For more information about this fun activity, call the Chamber at (919) 552-4947, or drop by Merle Norman Cosmetics, The Mad Hatter, or Rita’s Décor and More.Earlier Than The BirdAnother fun local shopping experience is the brand new “Earlier than the Bird” event—this year on December 6th. Starting at 8am, shoppers will be flooding the two downtown retail districts in their pajamas to kick off their holiday shopping with flair! Stores will be opening early on December 6th to attract anyone who wants to slip downtown in their PJs and enjoy breakfast and some earlyholiday shopping with friends and other Fuquay-Varina residents before the day starts for mostregular shoppers.Merchants will be providing an “early bird preview” of all the great shopping available in downtown Fuquay-Varina from 8am- 12pm. Participating stores include The Mad Hatter, Rita’s Décor and More, The Meeting Corner, Ann’s Diamond Center, Stick Boy Bread Company, Merle Norman Cosmetics, Going Full Circle, KnB’s Marketplace, David Anthony’s, Above Fashions, Family Optical, and Samantha’s Jewelry Design & Repair. Sorry! Sweats and workout clothes don’t count! For more information, contact us at (919)557-5771.Page 4 | Suburban Living Fuquay-Varinawww.suburbanlivingmag.com