Hendrickson

For many local retailers and merchants, the holiday shopping season is one of the biggest income opportunities of the year. The competition from online retail keeps chipping away the local profit margin a little bit more each year. Because of that trend we need to start making a conscious effort to support our local community businesses.

The annual Ishpeming Ladies Night Out will be held on Wednesday. This is a great event hosted by the Ishpeming Business Association to get local businesses in the spotlight and enjoy a fun night out on the town. A total of 35 business locations have signed up, with several locations hosting multiple vendors.

This will be an all-day event with opportunities for door prizes, free tastings, discounts and gifts. Many of the participating businesses will have extended hours. For more information, check out the Ishpeming Business Association event page on Facebook, Ishpeming Ladies Night or call the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce at 906-486-1111.

The GINCC also supports and promotes several local buying initiatives to help our communities prosper. One being the Be Local, Buy Local campaign which is a collaborative program between the GINCC and Marquette Chamber of Commerce. Using a merchant card, the program runs through the participating businesses’ electronic POS systems, similar to using a debit card. The merchant card can be purchased with any dollar amount loaded on to them and used as gifts. The campaign provides patrons the opportunity to support local businesses year-round and be entered in a monthly drawing.

Another program hosted by the GINCC is the Holiday Punch Card, which runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 21. For every $50 spent at a GINCC Member Business, you get a chance to win a great prize. A listing on GINCC members are included in the directory at gincc.org. Receipts must be brought into the chamber office to be recorded. Entries need to be dropped off by 4 p.m., Dec. 21. For more information, go the GINCC website or Facebook.

A couple other opportunities to get involved in and give back locally are on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 24 and Giving Tuesday, Nov. 27. Support your communities this holiday season. Buy local.

Editor’s note: Bob Hendrickson is the executive director of the GINCC. He currently resides in Negaunee with his wife, Laura, and daughter, Sierra. He enjoys mountain biking, skiing, fishing and hunting along with family time.