WELLINGTON COUNTY – Members of the Wellington County chambers of commerce say the recently launched “shop local” marketing initiative highlights the diversity of business communities across the county.
The five chambers have joined forces on a new “shop local” initiative to promote the importance of supporting area businesses.
On Oct. 4, chambers in Centre Wellington, Arthur, Mapleton, Mount Forest and Minto announced the launch of the new “Live, Love, Shop Local” initiative, which will be rolled out over the course of the next five months.
“We were super successful, more than what we could have jumped for,” Somer Antonopoulos, business development coordinator at the Minto Chamber of Commerce, said on the recently launched shop local initiative.
County chambers received over $90,000 through the federal government’s Strategic Activities Program to develop the shop local initiative.
The grant is intended to create and strengthen shop local programs across the province.
Antonopoulos said the chambers will be offering different marketing campaigns in addition to videos of each community to highlight the business diversity across the county.
“It allows us the opportunity to really highlight and showcase some of the businesses that we have in our community,” Antonopoulos explained. “Pretty much you can find everything you want locally in our businesses.
“I think it’s an opportunity to shine some light on that and our different diverse areas too,” she explained, adding there’s always something new to discover and explore.
Antonopoulos said through the pandemic, shopping and supporting local is “equally as important now than it has been.
“I think people just need to be aware and mindful that these our are friends and our neighbours and members of our community.”
She continued, “They’re the ones giving back and doing things in our community to make us so wonderful and special and diverse,” adding the program is not just for Minto but the whole county.
Mapleton Chamber of Commerce coordinator Gina Dobbin said the chambers applied as a group with the hope of achieving a bigger impact.
Dobbin said the objective of the program is “to keep people shopping locally, not just in Mapleton, or not just Minto or Centre Wellington but in Wellington County as a whole.”
She added people don’t hesitate to ask for help from their local businesses when they need something, whether that be when there’s a fundraiser, an event or a hockey team sponsorship.
“So it’s important that we then give back to those businesses that are always giving back to our community in various ways. They employ our neighbours, they employ our kids, they give to events, they do things like that on a daily basis.
“And for the most part they’re all ran by our neighbours in our community, it’s not just a nameless corporation, it’s our friends and family,” she continued, adding it’s important to keep them operating and keep the funds in the community.
On the shop local program, Dobbin said it offers additional promotion and letting people in the extended area know what businesses in Mapleton have to offer.
“No one community has everything,” she explained.
“You can’t just shop in Minto or just shop in Mapleton and get everything you need; you need to hit up all the businesses in Wellington County because everybody offers something different and something you need.
“Between kids’ clothes, men’s clothes, women’s clothes, home decor, or home appliance … there is no one stop shop.”
She added the program means promoting what Mapleton has to offer to not only Mapleton residents but to Wellington County as a whole.
Arthur Chamber of Commerce administrator Jacklyn Winter said in an email while the chamber’s excited for the program, the directors are waiting for more information.
“(We) are very happy to be working collaboratively with our local chamber, BIA’s and townships on this initiative,” Winter wrote.
In an email statement, Mount Forest Chamber of Commerce administrator Stacey Stevenson said it’s important to focus on local businesses and how they’ve adapted to the new way consumers shop.
Stevenson said the Mount Forest chamber is working with local chamber’s in hopes of “making a larger statement and encourage a cohesive message across the county.
“Buying locally helps stimulate the economy in our community, not to mention the personal touches and relationships that build over time.”
Stevenson noted the initiative provides an opportunity for local businesses to participate in a county wide project which she added, “will amplify the message to a larger audience.”
Small business week
As Small Business Week approaches, Antonopoulos said the Minto chamber, intertwined with Launch it Minto, is providing different training opportunities and resources for small businesses throughout the year.
“So small business week isn’t really highlighted so much except we celebrate them a little more,” Antonopoulos explained.
Prior to the pandemic, she said the chamber would put on special networking events to get businesses involved in the community.
“It’s always small business time in Minto and we do try and honour and recognize and support small businesses through different initiatives that we offer,” she added.
“It has been difficult, but I do believe our community on a whole, speaking with our businesses, they’ve done a great job of actually supporting their businesses and keeping it sort of mind and making sure they feel loved and supported and they are shopping local,” she said on the challenges of operating through the pandemic.
“We’re seeing a shift which I think is amazing because pre COVID there was a lot of online going on and now I think maybe a silver lining is people are realizing how it important it is to shop local business and make sure they’re supported.”
