BETHLEHEM — As the holiday season is here, shopping is inevitable and the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce wants residents to take advantage of its annual Holiday Shopping Card.
When presented to more than 30 participating businesses in town, this Holiday Shopping Card, while supplies last, gives residents special discounts and promotions, in support of Small Business Saturday which was on Nov. 30. The card is valid from Nov. 30 through Dec. 31 and must be physically presented in order to receive the discounts.
Businesses and establishments accepting the card include Phillips Hardware, Angela’s Pizza and Pasta, Delmar Beverage Center, Garden Bistro 24, Kleinke’s Farm, Perfect Blend, Shogun Sushi and Sake Bar, Spotlight Newspapers and Twisted Vine Wine & Tap. For a comprehensive list of all participating businesses and their offered discounts, visit business.bethlehemchamber.com/events/details/chamber-holiday-shopping-card-2019-6275 or contact the Chamber at 518-439-0512.
First unveiled at a kick-off event by the Bethlehem Chamber in front of Delmar’s Phillips Hardware on Nov. 21, the card has since been made available in the Spotlight’s Nov. 27 issue, at the Delmar Turkey Trot, the Bethlehem Chamber’s office on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and at every Delmar Farmer’s Market throughout December.
“I’m not bashing the big box stores but I did grow up in a family business and I have made it part of the chamber’s mission to shop local,” said Maureen McGuinness, the chamber’s president. “One of the things, besides excellent customer service, is that these are the people who are supporting our youth sports, these are the people who are making donations for all of our different fundraisers and for these reasons, we really need to give back to them.”
Town Supervisor David VanLuven joined in, “When you look at communities that are bustling and are strong, you find a strong commercial sector. And whether it’s restaurants, hardware stores, banks, opticians, beverage centers, breweries or more, these are places where people cross paths and connect and they’re also places that give so much back to our community.”
He continued, “If you want to continue to have these businesses and attract new businesses to Bethlehem, we need to patronize them. And the 2019 Holiday Shopping Card is not only a great reminder of who many of our great businesses are, but it has deals and specials that will save us money.”
Jon Phillips, owner of Phillips Hardware, said that as Small Business Saturday started 10 years ago, he has appreciated seeing more small businesses spring up in town since then and how the Chamber has continued to encourage this movement.
“In between the dollars you spend at the big places, just make sure you allocate some of those dollars back into small businesses,” he said.
VanLuven concluded, “I want to encourage everyone to go out, grab one of these cards, go to a small business today, go to a small business tomorrow, go to a small business throughout the whole holiday season. And then keep going to them so that our wonderful, strong community will continue to have a thriving and strong beating small business heart.”
