Skip the long lines and shop small this weekend
OTHELLO - If, after a relaxed evening with family and way too much warm food this Thanksgiving, it doesn’t sound like a pleasant follow-up to cram into a big box store and fist fight over a discount flat screen TV on Black Friday, the City of Othello has a markedly more laid-back option: Shop Small day.
The Othello Chamber of Commerce and the Old Hotel Art Gallery are partnering with local businesses throughout Othello for Shop Small day on Nov. 24, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Those who shop in Othello will be awarded a raffle ticket for every $10 spent with participating businesses, redeemable at the Old Hotel Art Gallery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with valid receipt. Only purchases made on Nov. 24 will be considered.
The Shop Small event, sponsored by American Express, acts as a counter-weight to Black Friday, when big-box stores across the country sell products at steep discounts for the nation’s single biggest day of shopping.
“When we’re all helping each other, it drives each others business and furthers that ‘shop local’ concept,” said art gallery director Jenn Stevenson. “Many people go out of town to buy everything, but if you look around there’s a lot of stuff you can buy in Othello to keep the sales tax in the community.”
In addition to businesses with participating retail stores in Othello, up to 15 businesses will have booths inside the Old Hotel Art Gallery, including Conversatio Coffee, Udabomb Bath Bombs and More, and others. Products sold directly by the Art Gallery also count towards accruing raffle tickets.
Raffle tickets can be entered to win gift baskets and other prizes put together by the Chamber of Commerce, the Old Hotel, flavored popcorn retailer Killian Korn and Paty’s Second Hand Store.
“It’s a way for local businesses open during a time when business is slower to get their names on our social media and marketing,” said Rachel Covey, Manager of the Othello Chamber of Commerce. “It’s really about spreading the word, and to learn that it’s not just a big corporate Walmart in town, and that we can also our neighbors with our commerce.”
Though there are only a few days left before the event, other businesses and direct-sales retailers can still sign-up to participate. Email manager@chamberofothello.org if interested in participating as a business or theoldhotel@outlook.com if interested in selling at the pop-up market.