Support local this holiday season in Downtown Kalamazoo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Contact: Meghan Behymer | Communications + Marketing Manager
mbehymer@downtownkalamazoo.org | 269-344-0795
This holiday season, the Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership asks you to give the gift of supporting local businesses. The Partnership is spearheading a series of Small Business Saturday and business support initiatives in downtown Kalamazoo, hoping to bring cheer to the community during a challenging year.
“Downtown businesses need community support more than ever right now. The holiday season is a critical driver of revenue for businesses every year, but especially in 2020,” Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership President Andrew Haan said. “Our team cannot stress the importance of shopping local enough, and there are so many safe ways to do that. Whether you are shopping online or in-person, ordering takeout or curbside pickup, purchasing gift cards or Downtown Dollars – all of these small actions have a huge impact on downtown businesses.”
Below are a number of safe ways to support local amid the pandemic:
Support local with a Downtown Dollars BOGO deal
Give the gift of Downtown Dollars this season – it’s like having a gift card to 35+ downtown businesses.
To support downtown businesses this season, the Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership is offering a Downtown Dollars promo – when you purchase $20 in Downtown Dollars, you get an added $5 free. This deal launched November 9 and is available to the first 2000 buyers. Use your downtown dollars to do your holiday shopping this year, and be sure to spend your $5 gift before July 1, 2021.
Available for purchase at https://downtownkalamazoo.org/downtown-dollars/, Downtown Dollars work like a gift card at participating downtown restaurants, shops, and businesses. They can be used right on your phone or print them off for a simple shopping experience.
Small Business Saturday(s)
Join the nationwide movement to shop local on Small Business Saturday – November 28. And for Downtown Kalamazoo, Small Business Saturday doesn’t end on November 28 – our team is officially declaring every Saturday in December “Small Business Saturday” and calling the community to join the movement to support small businesses. That means even more chances to snag the perfect holiday gift – all while supporting local.
As part of December’s Small Business Saturdays, the Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership worked with local vendors and entrepreneurs to set up outdoor stations on the North Kalamazoo Mall for a Holiday Mall Market. Above and beyond the state health regulations, we ask the community to wear masks, even while shopping outdoors at the market, and continue to maintain appropriate social distance. Support local entrepreneurs at the Holiday Mall Market from 4-8 p.m. on December 5, 12, and 19.
When shopping at a downtown retailer this Small Business Saturday, customers will receive an “I Shopped Local – Downtown Kalamazoo” pin. The Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership encourages shoppers to share pictures with their pins and spread the message of shopping local in downtown throughout the entire holiday season.
Shoppers looking for gift ideas can keep an eye out for Downtown Kalamazoo’s 50 under $50 Holiday Gift Guide, to be released ahead of Small Business Saturday – stay tuned through downtownkalamazoo.org and on social media for products, services, and experiences available in Downtown Kalamazoo.
Winter Window Decorating Contest
Returning this year is a community favorite: Downtown Kalamazoo’s Winter Window Decorating Contest – a friendly competition between downtown businesses to see who has the merriest display of them all. Needing extra cheer this holiday season? Come down for a walking tour of downtown Kalamazoo’s holiday lights and decorated storefronts.
This year, with the ongoing pandemic in mind, there are two ways to vote for your favorite display. Votes from both methods will be used to determine the winners.
- In-person voting: The community is invited to walk downtown to see 35+ business storefronts decked out for the holidays and vote for their favorite by scanning the QR code on the window. QR code voting launches on Small Business Saturday (November 28) and runs through December 16.
- Social voting: Photographs of each participating business’s storefronts can be ‘liked’ on Facebook for a vote. Social voting launches December 7 and runs through December 16.
Winners will be announced December 18, 2020.
Sip and Stroll through Downtown Kalamazoo
While downtown restaurants shift dining to outdoors, take-out and delivery, downtown Kalamazoo offers a great outdoor solution with the Central Commons Refreshment Area.
With the Central Commons Refreshment Area in place, and an expansion of the area coming in December, you can now sip and stroll throughout downtown with your favorite drink while taking in all the sights from holiday lights to decorated windows.
Santa’s Workshop
Considering the November 18 Michigan Department of Health and Human Services order, the Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership is hard at work adjusting Santa’s Workshop plans to make sure everyone is safe this season. The workshop was originally scheduled to open December 5 by appointment only at the Radisson Plaza Hotel. Stay tuned for details on upcoming changes to this program.
Donate this #GivingTuesday
Beyond spending locally, this #GivingTuesday, please consider a donation to the Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership as we work to support businesses and bring new programs, initiatives and investments to downtown Kalamazoo.
The Partnership is the entity behind many meaningful projects in downtown including the reimagining of Bates Alley into a vibrant event space, the creation of the Central Commons Refreshment Area, and events such as SkeleTour, Beats on Bates, and Santa’s Workshop.
A donation to the Partnership supports identifying innovative solutions for public spaces, activating vacant spaces, driving foot traffic, and marketing, promoting, and supporting downtown businesses.
Those interested in joining in the Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership #GivingTuesday initiative can:
- Set up a regular donation of $10 per month or more to support the Partnership’s work year-round supporting local businesses
- Make a one-time donation on our Facebook page to support downtown during the holiday season
Share our Facebook posts and retweet us to spread the message #GivingTuesday #wearedowntownkzoo. Downtown Kalamazoo holiday programming and initiatives would not be possible without the help of its sponsors, including the Radisson Plaza Hotel, Consumers Energy, Two Men & A Truck, Meijer, and Irving S. Gilmore Foundation.
About Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership
Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization that works with both the public and private sectors in preserving and enhancing the economic health of Kalamazoo’s downtown area and, in turn, the Kalamazoo community. In conjunction with its affiliate organizations, it manages a full range of activities that include capital improvement projects, business development and recruitment programs, image marketing and event planning in order to establish Downtown Kalamazoo as an accessible, diverse, green, progressive and vibrant urban center. For more information, visit downtownkalamazoo.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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