News

Thursday, April 14, 2005
Programs Keep $$ in Town
By Les Masterson, Arlington Advocate

Having trouble not knowing what to get Uncle Floyd? Don't have a clue as to what to buy Junior's teacher and Little League coach? There is now an easy alternative.

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce is kicking off the Shop Arlington First program next Tuesday.

"What is nice about Shop Arlington First certificates is you're giving a gift of choice," said Michele Meagher, executive director of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

The program works just like gift certificates to the 83 businesses who have signed up. Ninety percent of them are Chamber members.

Meagher said organizers wanted to include all businesses - not just members.

"The Chamber's job is to support local commerce and local business; this is a program that is going to benefit everybody," said Meagher.

Meagher said Shop Arlington First borrows from similar programs in nearby communities. SA1st, however, has cut some steps. By getting Leader Bank on board, Meagher said the certificates are just like checks for businesses and won't force small business owners into having to wait for reimbursement.

"For a small business, (waiting a week or two for reimbursement) can be tough," said Meagher.

There is no risk for the businesses. Money collected through the Shop Arlington First program will go directly into dedicated accounts at Leader Bank, she said.

"It cuts out that extra step that the shop owner would have to do," said Meagher.

The certificates, which are bound by state law, meaning people have seven years to use them, can be purchased starting next Tuesday at the two Leader Bank branches, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and eventually the program's Web site at www.sa1st.com, which Chamber member Tom Scotto of eScott.net is developing. (Scotto also made the Shop Arlington First logo.)

"We needed to make it as convenient as possible to buy," said Meagher of getting Leader Bank on board.

Sushil Tuli, owner of Leader Bank, plans on promoting the program through his bank. For instance, Leader is going to give $10 Shop Arlington First gift certificates to parents whose children open a Kids Bank Club account with $100 or more. Until now, Leader has given gift certificates to Barnes and Noble and other out-of-town businesses.
"We're not going to let this program fail. It's going to a be a program that other towns and chambers will want to follow," said Tuli of his confidence in Shop Arlington First.

Kate Harris of Crossroads Trade helped plan Shop Arlington First. She said people like teachers will get to combine the certificates from their students. Rather than a $20 gift card to a restaurant and a $10 gift certificate to a book store, they will be able to combine the Shop Arlington First certificates so they can spend $30 in one place or shop at two or three different spots.

Harris said the program will also help out-of-towers around the holidays and birthdays.

"It's really convenient for people who want to give gifts to children who live in Arlington. Those are the kinds of calls I get from out-of-towners," said Harris of people looking for gift certificates. "This will solve a lot of customers' dilemmas like a teacher's gift or a coach's gift. That is a perennial dilemma for parents every single year. This is a really nice way to solve that."

Jan Whitted of Artbeat, who also worked on the program, concurred.

"I think this is a great way to encourage people to shop in Arlington," said Whitted.

The program kicks off with a trivia contest that will include a question about each business that is taking part in Shop Arlington First. Meagher said contest participants will have to either visit the stores or go to the businesses' Web sites to find the answers.

"The whole idea is to drive foot traffic into the stores or eyeballs onto the Web sites of Chamber members that don't have a physical location," said Meagher.

With weeks of planning behind them, organizers are looking forward to next week. Tuli praised Meagher for getting the program off the ground. [continue]
"The reason this has gotten to this level is her energy level," said Tuli. "I'm very impressed that we got this to completion in a very short period of time."

Meagher hopes the Chamber can build upon the program's success.

"This is the way I like to do business," said Meagher. "This is a model for how we want all programs to work: a partnership with Chamber members and listening to their needs and putting something out there that will benefit local businesses."

Businesses that are participating in Shop Arlington First were given a decal with the program's logo to place in the stores' windows. Shop Arlington First certificates in $10, $25 and $50 denominations will be on sale starting next Tuesday at the two Leader Bank branches in Arlington and the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber is open Tuesday-Friday from noon to 3 p.m. Leader Bank's Center branch is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The East Arlington branch is open the same hours except it is open to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. To find out more about the trivia contest, go to the Web site at www.sa1st.com.