Homepage

The City Of Oswego Is Gifting Local For The Holidays The City Of Oswego Is Gifting Local For The Holidays

By Mikhala Armstrong

MARIA JOHNSON: This is our livelihood we don’t have some big corporate banner over our head bring and paying the bills this is what we do”

Reporter: MARIA JOHNSON IS THE OWNER OF C’S MARKET, A LOCAL BUSINESS THAT IS PARTICIPATING IN THE BLIZZARD BUCKS PROGRAM.
CUSTOMERS CAN USE THEIR FIVE $10 BLIZZARD BUCK COUPONS TO PURCHASE A VARIETY OF LIQUOR, FRUIT BASKETS, AND CHRISTMAS TREES THAT C’S MARKET HAS ALL HOLIDAY SEASON LONG.
JOHNSON JOINED THE PROGRAM TO EXPOSE HER BUSINESS TO NEW CUSTOMERS AND SAYS WITHOUT THE HELP OF LOCAL CONSUMERS, HER BUSINESS WOULD NOT BE HERE.

MARIA JOHNSON: They really are our lifeblood, they’re the ones who keep the lights on, keep our produce fresh, and yeah, they’re everything.

Reporter: WHEN YOU DON’T BUY LOCAL YOU SLOWLY TAKE FROM THESE SHELVES ONE BY ONE…
AND C’S MARKET IS NOT THE ONLY ONE URGING CUSTOMERS TO LOOK TO THEIR NEIGHBOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

MAYOR BARLOW: It’s money well spent to know that you’re supporting, directly supporting people, in this case, the business owners, and supporting a good cause versus spending your money at a box retail store that where the money may never circulate in this community

Reporter: ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, IF YOU SPEND A $100 AT A LOCAL BUSINESS, $73 DOLLARS STAY IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY
AND $27 LEAVE THE COMMUNITY. FOR NATIONAL CHAINS, FOR EVERY $100 YOU SPEND, $43 STAYS IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY, AND $57 LEAVES THE COMMUNITY.

MAYOR BARLOW: If we stop supporting small businesses and just kind of let them coast then you’ll slowly see them start to close one by one

OSWEGO, N.Y. (NCC News) — The City of Oswego is offering Blizzard Bucks for December to increase holiday shopping for local businesses.

The program acts as a “Buy One Get One” coupon program, where anyone can purchase a $25 coupon, and the city gives five $10 coupons in return. Nearly 80 local businesses are participating in this month’s round of Blizzard Bucks, and after Mayor William Barlow Jr. announced the sale of the coupons Thursday, they sold out within three hours.

How the Blizzard Bucks Program Works:

  • Pay $25 (Cash Only) and get an additional $25 in Blizzard Bucks Free
  • Blizzard Bucks are redeemable at nearly 80 participating locations
  • The program expires December 31, 2021
  • Maximum two coupons per person and each coupon can be used at different local businesses

The program aims to help consumers support local businesses this holiday season and help local businesses hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The five $10 coupons matched for the purchased $25 coupons are provided by the City of Oswego, using $25,000 in funding from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan.  

“It’s money well spent to know that you’re supporting, directly supporting people, in this case, the business owners and supporting a good cause versus spending your money at a box retail store where the money may never circulate in this community,” Mayor Barlow said.

According to a Michigan State University study, when consumers spend locally, the money can be re-spent locally. The re-circulation of money leads to more spending for libraries, schools and raises salaries.

The Michigan State University study found that small businesses employ more than 52% of the nation’s employees. Since 2003, small businesses have added more than 5.1 million new jobs playing an essential role in job creation. In addition, more Americans work for small business companies of less than 100 employees than large national chains of more than 500 employees.

In Oswego, the focus for city officials is working hard to revitalize the Downtown area. A critical part of that plan is the small businesses and restaurants. With the support of programs like Blizzard Bucks from the community, Mayor Barlow says that supporting these businesses is critical not only to the business’s survival but the community’s success.

Related Articles