Stephanie Ballantyne is the president of the Chemainus and District Chamber of Commerce
CHEMAINUS – Think local, go local, find it close to home. That’s the theme behind the upcoming shop local campaign from the Chemainus + District Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber secured a $65,000 grant this week through the federal government’s Strategic Activities Program, administered by the BC Chamber of Commerce for programs across the province that promote ‘shop local’ and are designed to strengthen the local economy.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be one of the 88 recipients awarded a grant under this program. This generous grant will allow us to create two legacy products which will help promote local in our communities for years to come,” announced Chamber President, Stephanie Ballantyne.
The campaign involves the development of shopthetown.ca – a comprehensive online directory for all businesses and organizations within the Chamber’s district which includes Saltair, Chemainus, Thetis Island and Crofton. Residents will easily be able to find all products, supplies, services, venues and attractions available locally. A regional events calendar will complement the directory and a job board will be added to promote local opportunities and assist businesses in hiring new staff. The directory will launch at the beginning of February 2022.
Emily Weeks is Managing Director of the Chamber and Visitor Centre
“What we envision is a shift from a ‘shop local’ focus to a broader ‘think local, go local’ focus with an emphasis on efficiency, strengthening the local economy, supporting our neighbours and dedicated businesses that serve the community, and promoting environmental sustainability,” Ballantyne explained.
“We want to encourage people to explore what’s close to home first before going elsewhere.”
In addition to the new online directory, there will also be a campaign-branded, reusable, collapsible shopping bin available for free to every household within the district. These are extremely durable, strong shopping “boxes” which will reinforce the campaign message for many years. They will be available in February at partner locations and all residents will receive a postcard invitation to claim their shopping bin.
“A project of this scale requires a great deal of collaboration and support from our communities. We have a dynamic team of professionals working on development. And we are very excited to be working with the Saltair Community Society, Thetis Island Community Association and Crofton Community Centre Society on delivering these resources to the community,” added Emily Weeks, Managing Director of the Chamber and Visitor Centre. Any other organizations that are interested in helping out or would like additional information on the program are encouraged to contact Emily directly at chamber@chemainus.bc.ca.
This campaign will provide an invaluable resource for the community that will adapt and grow. It is being designed with the future in mind. It will be scalable and have the capacity to integrate e-commerce and a multi-vendor marketplace. It will also be a valuable asset for enhanced tourism promotion which will be a focus for the Chamber in the spring of 2022.