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215 West Michigan Businesses offer coupons to help local consumers
Local merchants extend generous offers in 2010 Local First Coupon Book
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (Oct. 19, 2009) — In an effort to continue helping local consumers find great bargains this holiday shopping season, 215 locally-owned merchants have signed on to offer terrific discounts on their goods in the 2010 Local First Coupon Book, which became available recently at nearly 50 locations throughout the region. Consumers can look for a "Coupon Books Sold Here" poster at businesses selling the $20 books.
Featuring 245 coupons, the highly anticipated follow-up to the non-profit organization’s 2009 edition offers exclusive discounts at 215 West Michigan businesses. The 245 coupons represents Local First’s most impressive offering to date — the potential for consumers to save thousands of dollars while supporting locally-owned businesses.
“The Local First Coupon Book is just one of the many tools we provide to make it easy for consumers to support entrepreneurs and job-creators within our community,” said Executive Director Elissa Hillary
In 2009, a Civic Economics study of Kent County commissioned by Local First concluded that “shifting 10% of the community’s current expenditures to locally-owned independent businesses would create … approximately 1,600 jobs, $50 million in new wages for those workers, and $140 million in new economic impact.” “We’re asking people to really think about where they are spending their money and to choose to keep and create jobs in our community” said Hillary.
The Local First 2010 Coupon Book is available for sale for $20 at Local First Member Businesses throughout West Michigan, and is additionally being sold as part of fundraising efforts at Thornapple Elementary School, City High Middle School, and the non-profit organization Mothers and More. For a complete list of participating businesses, visit www.localfirst.com. For information on group discounts and fundraising programs, please contact adam@localfirst.com.
Local First, a non-profit organization formed in 2003, works to encourage the development of a vibrant, sustainable West Michigan economy by promoting local business ownership, social equity, and environmental stewardship through education, support, and collaboration. The organization currently promotes an ever-growing membership base of nearly 550 locally-owned businesses and non-profits, organizing special events, co-marketing opportunities, and educating the public on the benefits of supporting local businesses.
2010 promises to be a busy year for Local First, as the organization ramps ups its fundraising and publicity efforts. Recently the organization was awarded $10,000 from the Dyer-Ives Foundation to undertake marketing research to identify the barriers consumers face when attempting to shift spending to locally-owned businesses. The findings will serve as the foundation of a public awareness campaign that hopes to help consumers shift spending by 10% to locally-owned business. Efforts to collect private funds to support a publicity campaign are already underway.