CityBeat's "shop local” holiday season promotion has wrapped up, and we thank the hundreds of Cincinnatians who took the pledge to support Greater Cincinnati’s economy by supporting locally owned independent businesses. Everyone who pledged to spend at least $100 of their holiday gift purchases to "shop local" were entered into a drawing for a prize package from participating businesses, and the winners have been chosen.—-
Thirty independent businesses signed up for the "shop local" promotion, and each contributed gift certificates to the prize packages. Here are the winners:
1st place, winning $1,000 in gift cards and certificates: Dana White
Runnerup, winning $500: Michelle Hathorus
Eight honorable mentions, winning $200 each:
Hilairy Begley
Sylvia Breier
Laura Chenault
Joe Harris
Kelly McDavid
Maggie Mucha
Jenny Siv
Seth Thomas
Supporting local independent businesses isn't just for the holidays, of course. Each dollar you spend at an independent business returns three times more money to our local economy then one spent at a chain store. And the casual encounters you enjoy at neighborhood-scale businesses and the public spaces around them build relationships and community cohesiveness. They're the ultimate social networking sites.
For more on CityBeat's "shop local" campaign — including a multimedia show featuring holiday messages from participating businesses set to an original song written and performed by local musician Tracy Walker, "Who We Are" — click here.
Happy holidays from CityBeat, a locally owned independent business since 1994.
