Dover Cyclery Patron Wins $3000 Local Shopping Spree

It's never too late to shop locally.

Just ask Amber Payne of Dover, who filled out an entry form for a purchase made on December 16th, the last day before the Grand Prize drawing in the Dover Chamber’s SHOP DOVER FIRST campaign. Ms. Payne’s entry was selected the very next day, making her the winner of the Grand Prize, a Local Shopping Spree consisting of $3,000 worth of Gift Cards to local businesses.

“I’m a huge proponent of spending locally, so I took notice of the Chamber’s ‘SHOP DOVER’ campaign right away,” said Payne, whose winning purchase was made at Dover Cyclery on Chestnut Street. “I’m thrilled to have won, of course, but I’m also pleased just to see people making the effort to support our local economy.”

The SHOP DOVER FIRST campaign, which the Chamber has produced with sponsorship help from Federal Savings Bank, has been a huge success this holiday season, with entries totaling nearly $2 million in local spending.

“Judging from the feedback we’ve been receiving from local businesses, the campaign has really begun to change people’s mindsets and affect their buying behavior,” noted Chamber Executive Director Kirt Schuman. “We felt this needed to be done, and I’m gratified to see that the response has been so overwhelmingly positive.”

In fact, the Chamber has decided to extend the campaign through the end of the year in order to build on the momentum that has already been generated, and to help local merchants finish the year as strongly as possible.

“Business has been good,” noted Dover Cyclery owner Wayne Richard, “and I really think the Chamber staff deserves a lot of credit. People see the SHOP DOVER FIRST posters and entry boxes all over town, and sooner or later, the message begins to resonate.”

Chamber Marketing Manager Aaron Wensley added, “It’s important for people to understand that the message we’re promoting is ‘Shop Dover First,’ as opposed to ‘Shop Dover Only.’ Everyone’s going to do some online shopping, or make a special trip to an out-of-town favorite, and that’s OK. We just want people to consider looking close to home first, and then to use those other outlets to fill in the gaps. If every resident could just make that one change in their habits, that commitment to shopping the local guys first, it would make a world of difference.”

Ms. Payne heartily agrees. “Everyone likes having neat shops and a unique, vibrant community that people want to be a part of, but if we want our favorites to survive, we have to make the effort to support them.”