White Mountain Independents Partners with Local Businesses and Independent Business Advocacy Groups to Launch “Shift Your Shopping NH”

North Conway, NH – On November 1, the eighth annual Shift Your Shopping holiday campaign launched for the 2018 season, encouraging individuals and businesses to “shift” more of their holiday shopping, entertaining and dining to locally owned and independent businesses.  The White Mountain Independents, along with twenty-six other businesses, organizations and networks in towns and cities throughout New Hampshire, kicked off this collaborative campaign last week. The campaign continues through December.

Shift Your Shopping’s mission is to “build a tradition that strengthens local economies, expands local employment, nurtures a sense of community and provides a more relaxed, fun and rewarding holiday shopping experience.”

As part of the Shift Your Shopping festivities, The White Mountain Independents will be promoting PLAID FRIDAY on November 23 and SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY on November 24

Plaid Friday is the relaxing and enjoyable alternative to the big box store “Black Friday” and is designed to promote both local and independently owned businesses during the holidays. The name Plaid Friday was conceived from the idea of weaving the individual threads of small businesses together to create a strong fabric that celebrates the diversity and creativity of independent businesses.  This year we will be celebrating all day by wearing our plaid attire and we want you to get into the spirit too by wearing your plaid garb and when you shop with our participating stores, we will give you a locally made plaid scarf from Ragged Mountain Equipment.

Small Business Saturday: Show your love for small businesses and keep your dollars local! Celebrate creativity, diversity and independent stores with us at all the White Mountain Independents throughout the Mt. Washington Valley. Shop Small is a nationwide movement to celebrate small businesses every day and to help communities thrive. … Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses across the country.

This year we encourage people to get our SHIFT YOUR SHOPPING gameboard – It’s fun, it’s simple and you could win one of ten Gift Certificates to WMI retail shops or the Grand Prize Gift Basket! ($500 value)

Simply shop at the locally owned WMI businesses in blue on the board. You will receive a stamp on their business when you make a purchase. Get 5 stamps and you will be entered into our prize drawing. You will be entered again for each additional stamp you receive. Turn in your WMI Board Game to any of the WMI retail shops. Contest runs from Friday, Nov 23 through Sunday, Nov.25. 2018. Winners will be announced on Saturday, December 1, 2018.

Gameboards are available online at whitemountainindepents.com, the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce website and at any of our member stores.

Look for the blue flags flying outside the White Mountain Independents around the valley!

The White Mountain Independents began participating in Shift Your Shopping with partners around the nation in 2017. The campaign makes a timely economic case for buying local. Every dollar spent at a local, independent business returns 2-4 times more dollars to the community compared to a dollar spent at a non-local business. This money recirculates through the community, boosting job growth, charitable giving and civic engagement.  Sustained “buy local” campaigns have demonstrated their capacity to shift sizable portions of that spending from chains and remote businesses to local entrepreneurs.

To date, partners include Monadnock Buy Local, Local First Alliance, White Mountain Independents, NH Food Alliance, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire (NOFA-NH), Stay Work Play, The Sustainability Institute, atHOME Magazine, Portsmouthnh.com, Seacoast Eat Local, Belletetes, Inc.,Bric & Brac, Country Bridals, Cove of Treasures, Farmers’ Market of Keene, Food Connects, Givey’s Barber Shop, Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, Jaffrey Civic Center, Keene First Friday Art Hop, Monadnock Arts Alive, Monadnock Food Co-op, Monadnock Sustainability Network, Monadnock Time Exchange, The Melamine Cup, and TEAM Jaffrey.